Strangers from Very Distant Lands
by Waternymph95
Summary: The new discovery that Durin's Line wasn't wiped out as all had thought means something. But what? In addition the arrival of a stranger from a strange land unsettles the fragile balance that Middle Earth depends upon. The Ring has reappeared marking the turn of the tide. Sauron turns his eye to worlds beyond his own. Will Middle Earth and our own World be thrown into darkness?
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: I do not own The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings.

"In order for the light to shine so brightly the darkness must be present."

-Francis Bacon

Chapter One: Home is Behind

Gandalf left the company at the edge of the forest of Mirkwood. Kili looked into the darkness of the trees, a deep sinking feeling in his gut almost made him sick. Gandalf's warning to stay on the path stuck in his mind. He had never faced dark magic before. Fili next to him stirred uneasily. No matter what, he would not let his brother out of his sight.

Thorin watched Gandalf disappear over the ridge before turning again to the dark wood, pausing only to steady his nerves, before stepping onto the crumbling path. The company followed suit. Kili watched the light of the sun fad until only the murky fog remained.

The woods creaked and cracked. Kili could have sworn that he saw the branched moving of their own aboard. As the company traveled farther in the fog around them grew thinker, as did the fog in their minds.

Fili swayed drunkenly, though Kili knew his brother had drunk no ail or port. If Fili had, Kili would have been the first he'd shared it with. He placed a steading arm around Fili's shoulders when he almost fell upon his face.

"We're going in circles!" Balin yelled out from the front.

The company were getting farther and farther away from them yet Kili was keeping pace. A sudden wave of tiredness washed over his mind. He glanced down to see his feet walking backwards, though he was still moving forwards.

Kili didn't even see the tree root that caught his foot bringing him and his brother down, nor did he see the sharp rock that collided with his head.

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"Alex, hurry up with the firewood!" My mother yelled from the back of Dad's pickup.

My little cousins ran past with snow balls in their hands, a stray one catching the back of my head. "Sorry Lexi!" Garrick yelled over.

"It's fine. I know where you're sleeping tonight." I laughed, shaking the flakes out of my cropped hair. I had to take off my beanie to get the biggest hunk of snow out.

I hefted the last of the firewood out of the bed of the pickup and ran inside our grandparents' cabin.

The little ones went to bed early in order to get up bright and early to open Christmas presents tomorrow morning. All the grownups gathered down in the living room to share rum and hot totties a per tradition. It was the first year I got to join them, my twenty first being the month prior.

"Looks who's the big girl now!" Uncle Blake laughed and handed me a whisky straight.

"Yeah, I don't know about…" I sniffed and scrunched my nose at the biting smell of alcohol.

"This is the first drink I get to buy you, it's not going to be any damn girly stuff." He smacked me on the back jovially.

"Mom, Dad, a little help here." I whined though I laughed all the same.

"Go on baby." My mom said taking a long drink of her eggnog. "I wanna see your reaction to."

"Ok," I lifted the glass to my lips and gagged before I could take a sip. "If I throw up I'm going to make sure it's all on you guys." Wirth that I tipped the glass. And immediately choked at the acrid taste, a hard swallow and I got all the liquid down.

"And that's enough for now." My Dad plucked the glass out of my hand.

"Dad."

"I'm still your Dad. No more for now."

"Alexia!" My Grandma's voice called out from the kitchen.

"You better go see what she wants." Dad nodded in the direction of the kitchen.

"OK," I hopped off the couch, "Don't start monopoly without me."

I skidded into the kitchen. "Yes grandma."

My grandma, a beautiful woman even at her ripe age, was just finishing putting her famous cherry pie in the oven. "Can you put your boots on real quick, Sandy wandered off into the woods again."

Sandy was her old Labrador, poor thing was practically blind and had a tendency to get lost in the dark woods surrounding the cabin. Lucky we were pretty much in the middle of nowhere so she wouldn't get hit by any cars.

I slipped on my boots, deciding to leave my coat inside though. This shouldn't take to long. The snow on the deck was up to my ankles. Sandy's paw prints headed out to the trees just beyond the light coming from the sliding door behind me.

Wrapping my arms around my chest I sprinted towards the darkness. "Sandy! Come here girl." When that go no response I cupped my hands around my mouth and took a step into the trees. "Sandy, I'll get you a treat. Come on girl!"

I continued forwards. The tree seemed to close in. I'd played here countless times as a child and I'd never felt intimidated. The trees creaked in the cold wind.

"Alexia!" My grandma's voice rang through the branched like a bell, "I've got Sandy, come inside!"

"Coming!" I turned around.

The wind stopped. All sound was gone, not even a branch moved. My breath turned to mist in front of my face. "Grandma!" I yelled. I never knew how accustomed to an echo I was until I didn't hear one.

The air around me warmed and fog rolled around my feet. I wobbled on my feet, the ground underfoot seemingly rolling.

Then I heard it, the whistling of wind. Behind fog moved like a wall, enveloping the trees and gaining on me.

I ran the direction of the cabin. My asthma clenched down on my lungs, I couldn't breath and my inhaler was inside.

The woods stretched on and on, far beyond what should have given way to my grandparents' yard. The mist caught up, swallowing me whole.

I latched onto a small tree in my path. My arms wrapped around it like my life depended on it as the wind screeched past like a hurricane.

Suddenly, as quickly as it began it ended. I let go of the tree and whirled around. The grass covered ground barely registered in my mind as I ran blindly through the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Upon a Stranger Land

I just kept on running. Tree and branches whipped past me, digging into my leggings. A few times my face nearly became closely acquainted with the ground. I know what you're going to say. When you're lost in the woods you should stay put. Lord knows I heard it enough in girl scouts.

Under other circumstances I probably would have stopped, taken out my phone and called for help. But these woods, these trees. I knew the forest around my grandparent's. Somehow I ran too far out and I was in an unfamiliar section. But that didn't explain the trees around me, I didn't even recognize the species. Which was crazy.

Ok I'm drunk. I'm a lightweight. That has to be it.

Thunk. I was so caught up I didn't see the two mounds hunched on the ground until I flipped right over them.

The ground was cool, not frozen where I fell on my back. Sitting up quickly I was met with a blade between my eyes.

"Stay down fowl beast." A deep voice rumbled from the thing now crouching over me.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I mumbled squeezing my eyes shut.

"Oh, my lady I apologize."

I cracked my eyes open. In the dim moonlight I saw a man quickly pocketing his knife. Next thing I knew he had his hands around my arms and was lifting me to my feet. He lifted me with ease like I weighed nothing.

I stood, trying to get my bearings. A woozy feeling snaked up from my stomach, whether it was from the whisky or whatever the hell just happened was anybody's guess.

It took me a moment to realize that where I expected the man's head to be there was only air. I looked down to see he came halfway between my elbow and shoulder. He also noticed how I towered over him and his guard was instantly up. Reaching into the pocket of my leggings I pulled out my phone and pulled up the flashlight.

He jumped back from me, raising …. An axe? "What is that?" He eyed me carefully.

"It's a flashlight, duh."

His face was blank. The shortness of the man wasn't the only strange thing about him. He had long wild blonde hair and two braids in his mustache. What he lacked in height he more than made up for in muscle.

Then I noticed the second lump still motionless on the ground. I directed the light towards it. It was another man, very similar to the first but he had darker hair.

The blonde quickly raised his weapon and I shut off my flashlight. "It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you." I slipped the phone back in my pocket and held my hands up in front of me.

That seemed to ease the man a bit, "Why are you doing in Mirkwood?"

I frowned, "I don't know what that means."

"What sort of magic is this?" He growled.

"Whoa whoa," I raised my hands higher, "Ok scenario, you put your weapon down. I won't hurt you, and we figure out what's going on?"

He pondered this for a minute. "Alright."

He lowered his axe and I let out a deep breath I'd been holding. Call me crazy, but I hate pointy objects.

"Is your friend ok?" I asked kneeing down next to unconscious one. The weirdness could wait for now.

"Kili!?" He gently rocked the man. "He's my brother. We were walking along the path before he fell and struck his head."

I glanced around the ground seeing only grass, "What path?"

"It was right here. Gandalf said not to stray from the path." He struck the ground with his fist.

"Help me roll him over." I asked.

Together we got him on his back and now I could see a small cut on his forehead. "it doesn't look to bad." I said.

"I'm Fili by the way, at your service." Fili slightly bowed his head to me.

"I'm Alex." I sighed, sitting back on my heels. "Nice to meet you."

I noticed that Fili was averting his gaze, "What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's just, you're not properly dressed my lady." He was blushing.

"My lady?" I laughed, "That's a new one, normally guys just call me Bea in a text and never call back. And sure I get that the whole leggings as pants thing is a bit controversial and all but I wear what I want."

"You speak such strange things my lady." Fili cracked a smile.

"I am known to babble, occasionally. Sorry."

The man on the ground groaned and his eyes opened slightly. "Fili?"

"Hey are you ok." I asked and his eyes rolled to look up at me. He stared at something over my shoulder. What…?

"Don't move." Something pointed touched the back of my head.

Out of the shadows tall men with bows and arrows emerged, surrounding us.

"What business have you in Riverdale?"

I should have known better but I whirled around to face the speaker behind me, "What now?" A fist to my face and I was out.

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Kili dreamed of spider webs and wargs. Trees trying to eat him whole and a woman looking down at him while surrounded by arrows.

He awoke laying upon a soft bed. The room was white and silvery, it reminded him of the rooms in Rivendell that he and the company stayed in a few days ago.

"Welcome Kili, son of Dis." A familiar voice called his attention to the front of the room.

"Aye lad its good to see ye!" An even more familiar voice was accompanied but a study body crushing him in a hug.

The dwarf stepped back enough for Kili to study his face. "Gloin!"

He recognized the dwarf instantly, having grown up on his stories in the blue hills. But the face he knew had wrinkled with age and the red hair had whitened. "It's good to see ye ladie." Gloin smiled.

"I though you would sleep forever you big wuss." Fili his brother came into sight around the elf still standing at the door.

"My Lord Elrond." Kili sat up further in bed and bowed his head in respect.

"I did not think to see you again Heirs of Durin." Elrond stepped further into the room. An air of regality flowed in with him. "It is truly a strange for you to return to us after so many years."

"Years?" Kili asked, he turned to his brother who frowned.

"Mirkwood has swallowed many a traveler. Few return, and none for as long as you two were lost to us." Elrond placed a comforting hand on Fili's shoulder.

"But we just lost sight of the company for but a moment. What of the Quest? What of Thorin?" Kili grew more and more restless.

It did not escape his notice how Fili's face pinched in pain. He jumped down from the bed pacing about the too large room. It was to clean, to neat, to foreign. He wished he was back in his mother's cottage. The rune stone she gave him felt hot in his chest pocket.

Gloin strode to the young dwarf and clasped his shoulders, firmly holding him in place. "Come Kili, there is much to talk about."

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After freaking out on a poor woman when I woke up in a soft white bed I managed to calm down.

Arwen, as she introduced herself told me that I was in a place called Rivendell. Where ever that was, it seemed like I had been brought to a bed and breakfast at first. It wasn't until I walked out onto the balcony that I saw that I wasn't in Oregon anymore.

And that is how I found myself balled up on the floor. My back was to the beauful archways and waterfalls, I didn't want to see any of it. I didn't understand. This was too crazy, it didn't make sense.

Arwen knelt down and gently rubbed my back. "We found you and the Heirs of Durin in the forest right beyond our border. The Oldest Heir of Durin vouched for you. We apologize for the way you were met. We cannot be too careful in times such as these, I'm sure you understand."

I wrapped my arms around my legs and buried my head against my knees. "Where am I?"

"Rivendell." She smile kindly. Her voice was as soft as a cloud and rang like a bell.

"I know," I sighed, "but where is that. I should get home, my grandma is old and it won't do her good to worry over me." I could only imagine how she must be feeling as she was the one to ask me to go out into the woods in the first place.

"I can have a guard sent with you to your home. Do you perhaps live in Bree?"

"No." I frowned, "Goshen, Oregon."

"I'm afraid I am unfamiliar with that town. Is it close to Isengard?" Arewn tunred her heard to the side and through her hair I saw her ear, normally nothing out of the ordinary, except her's was pointed.

I gasped and backed away from her, sliding across the stone floor.

Arwen stood in alarm.

"What are you, where am I?!" I trembled.

"You are not from here, are you?" Comprehension dawned on her face. "I must consult Gandalf."

I recognized that name, Fili had spoken it in the woods.

"Promise me you will stay here until I return, I promise you that you will be safe."

I nodded and she gracefully glided out of the room, inhumanly graceful.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The Council of Elrond

Kili and his brother walked behind Elrond as he led them through the winding halls or Rivendell. The very halls themselves seemed to vibrate with the angelic chanting of the elves. In the small study Gandalf and Gloin were already gathered. He also saw as he entered the young daughter of man curled up in a chair. Fili had told him of her and he now recognized the girl from the fever dream he had.

She was truly strange though, as Fili had said. She wore skin tight black pants, a lavender knitted tunic that came only to her waist and her brown hair was shorter than any he had seen, even on human men, just a few inches long.

She looked up when the group entered. She looked very tiny in Elrond's large chair, but when she stood Kili saw she was a good half foot or more taller than he was.

Fili excused himself to talk to Gandalf and Elrond and left Kili alone with the approaching woman.

Her eyes flitted nervously about the room. Her arms were curled tight against her in an attempt to make herself as small as possible. However she wore a small smile as she came to a stop before him. "I'm glad you're ok. I'm Alex." She held her hand out to him.

Kili, remembering his princely manners, kissed her hand and bowed deeply to her. "Kili at your service." The girl's face was blazing red and she bit her lips uncomfortably. Kili gave a start. "I'm sorry Lady Alex if I have offended you."

She blinked rapidly, stumbling over her words. "No no, its not, its just well. Oh damn."

Kili's eyes widened, he hadn't heard such language from a woman save his mother when she scolded him or his brother.

She noticed his reaction and her hands flew to her mouth, "Oh I apologize, I didn't mean."

"It is nothing to worry about." Kili's lips pulled back in a smile. Even after all he'd learned in the past few hours it was nice to know he could still smile.

"Kili." Gandalf called to the dwarf. "Elrond and I have discussed the past days' events at length and we believe we have come to some sort of idea as to what has happened."

"Please sit." Elrond gestured to the large round table in the center of the room.

All took a place save for the girl Alex, who stood awkwardly where Kili had left her. "Lady Alex, join us. I believe you have a part to play in this as well." Gandalf pulled out the chair next to his own.

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I took my seat beside the older man called Gandalf. He seemed very kind, Arwen had introduced me to him and he had not left me alone since. He reminded me of my grandpa a bit. Gandalf had explained as well as he could where I was and what was happening.

I glanced at the young men that I had found in the woods. My heart going out to them. All I really knew was that they had lost their Uncle. Gandalf had tried explaining a bit more, all I really understood was that they had been missing for many years and reappeared with me having not aged a day.

Once I was situated the man called Elrond looked around the table, making eye contact with everyone gathered. "Nearly three score years ago the Heirs of Durin were believed to have been lost to the dark woods of Mirkwood. Now they return to us at the turn of the tide. Darkness again returns, darkness that claimed the king of Erebor. Events have been put into motion, things we do not yet understand."

As he spoke one thing really stuck in my head. Mirkwood sounded familiar, and not just because Fili has said it in the woods. I'd been too disoriented the first time I heard it, but now it definitely sounded familiar. Something about old runic like carvings found in the woods of Oregon popped into my head. Something my history Professor had talked about, if only I'd payed closer attention rather than thinking about Christmas Break.

Elrond continued. "It would be folly to treat these happenings a nothing. Sauron's power grows in the east, the Ring has revealed itself. Fili, Kili, you will join the council tomorrow with your kin to decide the fate of the One Ring."

Fili and Kili nodded their heads in agreement. The older dwarf, I think that what he was, patted Kili on the back as tears welled up in his eyes. I wished I could do something for him.

Elrond then turned his attention to me, "Lady Alex, we must now determine your roll in this. What happened to bring you to our realm?"

I could practically feel the pressure of the eyes on me. "Nothing, I'm no one." My voice felt small.

Elrond's gaze grew stronger, egging me to elaborate.

"I was just walking in the woods, looking for my grandma's dog Sandy. Some fog rolled in, I got disoriented and lost myself." Elrond looked to be pondering this but he was not the one to speak up.

"Fog you say?" Fili asked, leaning across the table.

"Yes." I nodded. I leaned back as far as I could in my chair, not liking the attention on me.

"Gandalf, right before we lost the company thick fog enveloped our sight."

"Something you said earlier sir," I pulled my knees underneath me, "Mirkwood, from what I've learned of the forests near I live there were runes found. The translation sounds familiar. I don't know for sure. It doesn't make sense with our historical record, I really don't know for sure." I was rambling again so I quickly shut my mouth.

Gandalf looked very troubled. "The magic of Mirkwood has never fully been understood, even by Saruman. The darkness that has covered the wood since the Necromancer was discovered in Dulgur Dur has changed the place beyond even my understanding." Gandalf stood and began walking around the perimeter of the table. "I believe the three of you have a role to place in the wars to come. Lord Elrond if I may be so bold I want to bring Lady Alex to the council tomorrow as well."

Elrond looked shaken by the older man's request but Gandalf pressed onwards, "Tell me. What have you foreseen? You have seen it to, the mere flashes that I have seen show that they all have a part."

"It is beyond what any should ask of a stranger, I did not even want to ask of Durin's Heirs." Elrond rested his forehead in his hand, suddenly he seemed wise beyond the years he appeared.

"I only ask the she attend, nothing more." Gandalf said, though I noticed that his left eye twitched strangely. He glanced down at me and smiled.

"So be it." Elrond nodded, "We will reconvene at midday with the rest of the embassies." He stood and everyone else stood to.

I stumbled to my feet, my legs having been in a tangle beneath me. Embarrassment sent red flushing to my face but I saw Kili smiling kindly across the table at me and I felt a little better.

"Until then" Elrond nodded before exiting.

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Fili and Kili wandered out into the gardens. It seem like only yesterday that they had rolled about here with the company. From their point of view it had been only a few days at most. But the changes were hard to miss. Saplings had grown into tall and strong trees, vines now encircled statures that before had been bare.

Further away four young hobbits hugged each other and played in the grass. Except for one that held his shoulder as one would who was injured. Kili would never call his brother or himself shy, and under normal circumstances they would have been right over there introducing themselves. But something held them back. Perhaps it was the foreignness of their surroundings. Two dwarves lost in time it what they were, even more removed from home than before. It made the feeling Kili had in his gut all the worse.

"Fili? Kili?" A voice called from a small patio hidden by a few trees.

Kili met his brother's wide eyes, "It couldn't be..."

"Lads?"

Fili took off in the direction of the voice and Kili followed suit.

"Bilbo!" Fili shouted, the fist grin Kili had seen on his brother since the start of this whole ordeal split across his face.

"Lads come closer, come closer." Bilbo sat upon a stone bench, his spine hunched and his fingers twisting with age. His hair had turned stark white but his smile was the same old Bilbo they remember.

The two dwarfs came to a stop in front of their old friend. "Fili" "And Kili" "At your service" they bowed in perfect synchronicity.

The ancient hobbit bellowed in laughter. "Oh I have missed you two."

The brothers sat down, one on each side of Bilbo. "Tell us Bilbo, what happened of the company." Kili asked.

"Did not Gandalf tell you?" Bilbo asked.

Fili nodded, "He did, but you there there to the very end. Tell us, what of Thorin and the dragon. Gandalf said you came upon the dragon alone."

Bilbo chuckled, however there was a tingle of sadness underlying. "I that I did. A truly wondrous tale."

Kili felt tears in his eyes. He had to work up the nerve to speak, he breathed deeply before speaking. "Gandalf also said you were with Thorin at the end."

Bilbo's demeanor sobered, "Till the very end. You'll have to forgive an old hobbit, my memory is not what it used to be."

Kili felt pained by this, seeing the bright and vibrant hobbit he knew and loved so weathered by time.

"Where shall I begin?" Bilbo stared off across the valley.

The hobbit Fili and Kili has seen before wandered over. "Ah Fili, Kili allow me to introduce you to Merry, Pippin, Sam, and my cousin Frodo Baggins. They grew up on stories of our adventures."

The younglings looked upon the two dwarves in awe. Two of their childhood heroes were right before them, sure they had met Gandalf plenty of times. But he was just Gandalf with his fireworks. These were two warriors that fought with Bilbo.

Kili shifted uncomfortably under their adoring gazes, while Fili took it all in stride. His brother's charming grin putting the hobbits at ease. They were very young, even younger than Kili had originally thought. Frodo especially, he didn't even seem to be of age yet. So this was the youngling who had carried the wound of a Nazgul, such a burden for one so small.

"Fili… at your service." Fili introduced himself.

Kili noted the small pause he gave for Kili to jump in with their usual greeting. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts.

"Well well, were was I." Bilbo patted Frodo's head as he and the other sat down on the grass surrounding them. "Oh yes, my memory is not what it used to be but lucky for you lot I wrote it all down." he took out a leather-bound book and opened to the first page.

The page read, "There and Back Again. A Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins."

Bilbo took out his pipe and primed the leaves, the best weed from Southfarthing woods. "By your leave Durinsons."

Kili felt the pang of loss but yet the distinct feeling of hope as he gazed around at his brother and the young hobbits. Their quest inspired them and still lived on, perhaps it wasn't all for naught. "Whenever you are ready Master Boggins."

Bilbo's barking laugh echoed across the garden, starting a few elves passing by. "Very well." He coughed clearing his throat. "In a hole, there lived a hobbit…"


	4. Chapter 4

Kili was walking alone trough the gardens. It was early evening and the sky was beginning to turn a light pinkish lavender. Fili has stayed behind with Bilbo after the old hobbit has finished his story. Fili has wanted to hear more of Thorin's last moments. As much as Kili wanted to say he had the strength to hear it, he did not have the heart. Perhaps one day he could when the wound of his uncle's passing wasn't so fresh.

As he turned the corner he heard faint voices coming from above. He slowly walked closer, the speech turning into recognizable words.

"Merry Christmas Alexia! We all can't wait to see you." What sounded like a hound howled. "Good luck on your exams."

A younger, higher pitched voice chimed in as the girl came into view. "Grandma is baking pies Lexi, she say that she's saving the cherry one for when you get here tho. So hurry up!"

The Lady Alex was perched on a ledge all curled up. The ledge was part of a pattern of sweeping arches that surrounded a small statue of a woman in the center with the name "Gilraen" carved into the base. Little sunlight filtered in from the overgrown vines above setting the whole sanctuary into a gloomy state.

He noticed light coming from what appeared to be a small tile in the Lady's hands. She clutched to the object, a bright smile upon her face. Her smile reminded him of how his mother would look when she would speak of his grandfather and great-grandfather. Happy, yet sad, present and yet a large part of her heart in a far off place that was unreachable. Lady Alex's eyes glittered wetly.

"Hey, no snowballs in the house!" An older man shouted.

Kili started and looked around but saw no one besides the girl. It was then he realized that the voices where coming from the tile in the girl's hands.

"Lexi I've got a big snowball waiting for you when you show up. This one's got grandpa's name on it!" A child chirped.

"Oh no you don't."

Alex laughed, brushing her fingertips across her cheeks, catching a few stray tears, "My monkeys."

Lowering the tile into her lap, she shook her head and gazed into the circle of arches. Kili stood still, not wanting to alarm her.

It didn't work, however. She caught sight of him and jumped almost falling backwards off the ledge. "Oh my." She snapped and caught herself, her hands grabbing onto the sides of the arch

Kili started forward hands outstretched, ready to come to her aid. "I'm sorry to alarm you my lady."

"It's fine. I just wasn't expecting anyone around here, I thought I found the best place to hide." Alex huffed and resituated herself on the ledge.

"Why are you hiding?" Kili asked, coming closer.

"Nothing." She spoke, her light voice cracking a bit at the end. Kili watched her face crumble, "I don't know. This place, these people. They're nice and all but it alien and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna freak at any moment. It hasn't happened yet but it probably will." The small tile was being turned around and around in her hands. "I'm so sorry about the stream of thought gibberish. Don't mind me. I know what you've been through. At least I think I do, I don't pretend to understand what's going on." She paused, letting out a sigh before raising her eyes to meet his, "I'm very sorry about your uncle."

Kili grimaced slightly, "Thank you." Not wanting to speak to deeply of Thorin he decided to change the subject, "What is that in your hand?" He raised his hand in the direction of the tile clasped in her fingers.

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"What? Oh," I flipped my phone around so the black screen was facing upwards. "It's my phone."

"I saw light and heard voices coming from it before. Is it some sort of magic? A portal to see another place?" Kili face brightened as he came closer to get a better look at it.

"Well sort of." I pressed the home button and opened it to my home page where I had a picture of my cat as the background, "Pretty much everyone has one of these back home."

Kili sat beside me, he face full of wonder, "Such a life like painting." He brushed his hand over the picture. His hands were huge, my fingers looked like pencils compared to his. It struck me again that he wasn't human. Arwen explain that Kili and his brother were dwarves. I shook my head, if I thought too much about everything that happened in the last day my inevitable freak-out might rear its ugly head.

Kili jumped when his hand activate the camera app and his face popped up on the front facing camera. "Ahh." He fell over backwards just like I almost had only he didn't catch himself.

"Are you ok?" I grabbed his arm, helping him right himself.

"What is that?"

"Its called a camera. Its, how do I explain this?" I switched to the back-facing camera and snapped a quick pic of Kili. "Here," I held it out for him to see as he leaned his forearms against the stone seat. "A camera takes what you might call an instant portrait."

"How amazing!" Kili reverently took my phone. "What were you looking at before?"

"It was a group video my family sent me to get me through my final exams." I pulled up the video and played it. "That's my grandma, and grandpa. And those two wild monkeys in the back are my little cousins, Garrick and Leah."

"You miss them." Kili spoke after a silent moment of watching.

"Very much so. Theo and Leah are like the two obnoxious siblings I never had." I smiled at the picture I pulled up of them. It was from a trip our west to the Bad Lands in South Dakota. They were giggling, Theo placing bunny ears over Leah and I, Mount Rushmore rose up in the background. We'd stopped there on one of our day trips.

"Who are those men?" Kili pointed to the faces carved in stone.

"It a memorial to the past leaders of the country I come from."

"What is your country called?"

"America."

"What sort of place is your home?" Kili asked.

"I don't want to bore you." I said.

"You're not at all." Kili spoke quickly. "Perhaps I'd like to hear of a place beyond the sorrows of my own."

"Of course." I started flipping through my photos explain as best I could each one. My car, the old red bug that I'd had since sixteen. Pictures of my dorm room and of the college grant trip I had won the year before to explore Pompeii.

Kili payed close attention and hung on every word I said. I'd forgotten what it was like to have a conversation with someone who wasn't glued to their phone. After a while I turned my phone off, partially to save my battery, but also because I wanted to just sit a talk.

"Can you tell me about your home?" I asked.

Kili's eyes lit up. "Yes, what would you like to know."

"Anything, everything." I said early, "This place is so overwhelming."

"Well, I grew up with my mother, brother and uncle in the blue hills." He had settled himself back on the ledge I was sitting on.

We were sitting in such a way, my feet were hanging over one side while his hung over the other, our backs were propped against the side of the archway so we faced each other.

Kili was turning over a small rock in his hands, "Thorin raised Fili to be his heir, so I always had more leeway when it came to pranks and such. Though whenever I could pull Fili into trouble I would, and he was more than eager to do so." He chuckled, throwing the rock up and catching it. "Thorin told us stories of Erebor, our homeland and the day we would return. Smaug the Great and Terrible would give my brother and me nightmares."

I pulled my knees to my chest and leaned forward. "Smaug."

"A fire drake from the north, the dragon attacked our great-grandfather's kingdom." Kili explained.

My eyebrows shot up, "A dragon? Those are real?"

Kili frowned, "Do you not have dragons in your homeland?"

I shook my head, "No, only in myths and movies."

"That's sad," Then he paused, worrying his lip, "but perhaps also very fortunate."

"Tell me more."

He told tales of his childhood. Of him and his brother, and young Gimli who I was going to meet tomorrow. I laughed when he got to how he met the hobbit named Bilbo and the worry they caused him.

The sky had grown quite dark and his tale hadn't yet left the hobbit home. "I think I should get to bed."

Kili jumped to his feet and held out his hand, "Allow me to walk you to your room my lady."

"You are quite the gentleman." I said standing and taking his hand. Our height difference was a bit disconcerting, another reminder that I was in a place that was so different from home. But Kili was kind and it eased my nerves to talk for the few hours we had. I knew tomorrow was going to be hard, but the prospect of attending the council settled in my stomach easier now that I knew I would see a friendly face there.

"Where to Lady Alex?" Kili beamed up at me.

I grinned at his eagerness, then stopped short, "I forgot."

His brows furrowed, "What."

"I have no idea how to get back."

"Neither do I!" Kili burst out.

"We can always wonder around looking lost and hope someone takes pity on us."

Kili mocked offense, "A dwarf never wonders, he knows exactly where he must go."

"Then lead on." I gestured to the path leading out of the small garden we were in.

"Follow me!" Kili gave a shout and, what do you know. We wondered aimlessly through the seemingly endless halls and corridors.

Finally, after sometime had passed an elf found us and managed to escort us to where we were to be staying.

We came to my door first. Opening the door I entered, but before closing the door I turned around to face my new friend, or at least someone I hoped would be a friend in the future. "It was nice, talking to you."

"As with you my lady." Kili bowed.

I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that. "You can call me Alex if you want."

"And you can call me Kili." Kili responded quickly, then he stopped relizing what he said, "Although you have been calling me that since we met, and it's my name… which you already knew." The man's cheeks were bright red.

My lips pulled up at the corners, "Goodnight Kili."

"Goodnight my lady, I mean Alex

Having said our goodbyes I closed the door. This place wasn't as scary as it was this morning.


	5. Chapter 5

The council gathered the next morning. Fili and Kili sat with their kin, between the elves and the men that came all the way from Gondor. Some of the elves, whom Kili assumed had known of his uncle, stared at Fili and himself. Surly it was a shock to see the line of Durin had not been wiped out like the world had thought. Many of the men, however, watched Lady Alex with rapt attention. Her strange appearance was enough to cause a stir. She had been clothed in a simple elven dress, as her attire before was unsuitable, but her hair set her apart from even the men. The presence of a woman at a council was unusual enough, but most had now heard of the girl's arrival with the Heirs of Durin. Gandalf believed she had a part to play in the coming days, but what that part was no one could know. Alex was clearly uncomfortable and stuck close to Gandalf's side all the way to her seat next to him.

Fili grip on his shoulder drew his attention to the moment at hand. Kili and Fili glanced at each other. Grief still weighed heavily on their minds. Part of Kili's heart felt like it was far away, in the crypts of Erebor. More than anything he wanted to go to his uncle, but the gravity of coming events forced him to stay in the moment. The coming threat was so much larger than anything he and Fili had faced on their quest to Erebor. What could to dwarves barely out of their childhood do in all this?

But even with the grave circumstances surrounding this meeting they were called to, Kili's thoughts kept flitting back to the woman he had met the day before. Alex was unlike any other woman he had seen before. However out of place he and Fili felt, what she must be feeling was beyond him. Kili had wanted to have the chance to speak with her before the meeting began, however order was called before he could do so and he took his seat next to his brother.

When the last of those called to the council filtered to their seats in Lord Elrond rose from his seat at the head of the circle.

"Strangers from distant lands," he lowered his head in Alex's direction where she sat between Frodo and Gandalf. "Friends of old," looking to Kili and Fili beside Gimli. "You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction, none can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom." Turning he motioned to Frodo. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

Frodo rose and walked to the pedestal in the center and placed a small golden band before all present. Returning to his seat he breathed out a sigh of relief. This small thing was already taking a toll on him. Alex rested her hand on his arm, trying to reassure him. He glanced up and smiled faintly in gratitude.

Murmurs could be heard from most present. Some looked at the ring with utter disgust while others looked like they wanted nothing more than to snatch the ring from where it rested.

"So it is true." Boromir of Gondor moved to the center, addressing the council. "In a dream I saw the eastern sky go dark. But in the west a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, 'Your doom is at hand, Isildur's Bane is found.'" his hand reached for the Ring.

"Boromir!" Elrond shouted just as Gandalf stood, chanting in a dark language, his very words shaking the ground and darkening the sky.

When he stopped the shaking ceased and light once again shone through the clouds. Several people were breathing out in hard, short gasps. While Kili didn't know the words, he would recognize the filth that was black speech anywhere.

"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris." Elrond said, giving Gandalf and sharp glare.

"I do not ask your pardon, for the black speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the west." Gandalf rounded on Boromir, "The Ring is altogether evil!"

"No, it is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy, let us use it against him." Turning round, Boromir looked for support from the members of the council.

"You cannot wield it, none of us can. The one ring answers to Sauron and Sauron alone. It has no other master." A man Kili had been told was called Strider spoke up.

"And what would a mere ranger know of this matter?" Boromir asked.

"This is no mere ranger, he is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance!" and elf leapt to his feet.

Kili looked to the man across from him, he had been told stories as a child about the men of Numenor and the fall of the kings of Gondor. He had thought that they had all passed into legend, but here before him was an heir to that legacy.

"This is Isildur's heir?" Boromir looked at Aragorn in a new light.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." The elf continued.

"Gondor has no king, Gondor need no king." Boromir's father was still steward and no stranger from the north would take his place on the throne, let alone this ranger.

"Havo dad, Legolas." Aragorn waved his hand, gesturing for the elf to calm down.

Legolas, son of Thranduil. Heart roared to life in Kili's chest at the sight of the Thranduil's princling elf. Thranduil who left his people to wonder the wilds homeless and starving. Fili made to lunge out of his seat, but Kili's firm hand stayed him. As much as Kili wanted to go at the elf, that would have to wait for later.

"Aragorn is right, we cannot use it." agreed Gandalf, bringing Kili back to the matters of the council.

"You only have one choice, the Ring must be destroyed." Elrond said gravely.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gimli sprang forward, heaving his ax down on the Ring with the intent of smashing it to pieces. Just as his ax connected with the Ring a force shoved him back, shattering his ax.

Frodo flinched in pain, like the ax had struck him and not the Ring. Alex and Gandalf looked down at the small hobbit who had his face in his hands.

"Frodo." Alex rubbed his back soothingly.

"I'm alright." Frodo whispered to her.

Alex took his small, fragile hand in hers. "I know you don't know me, but I'm here if you need help." She whispered back.

"Thank you." Frodo squeezed her hand and turned his attention back to the ring, though he kept ahold of Alex's hand. A small comfort that made him feel less alone.

Alex gazed at the young hobbit, feeling protective of him. In a way he remaindered her of Leah, so serious for one so small and young.

Kili watched Alex and Frodo whispering to each other as he wished he could heard what they were saying.

Lord Elrond called the council to attention again. "The Ring cannot be destroyed Gimli son of Gloin be any craft that we here possess." He spoke to the dwarf still sprawled on the ground. Elrond continued on, making eye contact with every member of the council. "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom, only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came! One of you must do this."

Silence resounded around the circle until Boromir finally broke it. "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is an evil there that does not sleep. And the Great Eye is every watchful. It is a barren wasteland riddled with fire and ash, the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this."

Alex stood, her white elven dress billowing out behind her, and addressed the council for the first time. "If I may." Elrond beckoned her to continue. Now that everyone's attention was on her she wanted to take back her words and sink into the floor. "Back home we use stealth to accomplish what an army cannot. I've learned about it in my college classes. Guerrilla warfare has been used to in the past to trick and get past an enemy. Could not a small group sneak into, Mordor did you call it, rather than attack from the front?" Her wisdom earning a few nods of approval around her, the most notable from Lord Elrond himself.

However Boromir would not be swayed. "It is folly." he insisted.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond just said?" Legolas got to his feet again. "The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli roared.

"And if we fail what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" Boromir approached the elf and dwarf.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!" Gimli shouted at all the elves present, paying no heed to what Boromir just said. The dwarves nodded in agreement, the elves were untrustworthy. That had proved that a hundred years ago during the fall of Erebor. If alliances meant nothing then, why should they mean anything now?

Soon the council broke into a full out argument, with elves and dwarfs accusing each other a various grievances. Fili glanced at his brother before joining in. Kili sat observing the chaos around him. Clearly ties between the elves and dwarfs had not improved since their day. Then out of the corner of his eyes he saw the hobbit named Frodo step forward, trying to be heard over the roaring fight.

Frodo looked up and said softly, "I will take it." Then, seeming to have gained some confidence and he said it again louder, "I will take the Ring to Mordor, though... I do not know the way."

Gandalf approached Frodo "I will help you bear this burden Frodo Baggins, as long as it is your's to bear."

Aragorn stood and went to kneel in front of Frodo, "By my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword."

"And you have my bow." Legolas spoke up moving to stand next to Gandalf.

"And my ax." Gimli lifted his ax for emphasis before joining in.

Boromir strode forward, "You carry the fate of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

Alex moved slowly to kneel before Frodo as Aragorn had done. She spoke so softly most present couldn't hear. Kili was close enough now that he was able to make it out. And of course the elves with their keep ears could hear anything, "You don't know me well. And honestly I have little idea what I'm doing. But I said I'd be here if you need anything. I want to help you if I can, if you'll have me." Alex waited with baited breath. Frodo had little reason beyond Gandalf's word to trust her. And who knows what she was getting herself into. All Alex knew is that if circumstances had been different and it was one of her family that was facing an unknown future, she'd want someone to step up. Frodo nodded his head, accepting her help. She leaned forward and planted a soft kiss upon his forehead.

Kili stepped forward after hearing Alex's declaration and driven to make his own. He ,ay have failed Thorin, he wasn't going to fail again, "I will also stand with you."

Fili moved to stand beside his younger brother. No way was he going on this quest without him "As will I."

They moved to join where the others were, Kili placing himself next to Alex.

"Har!" a voice cried out from behind them. Sam rushed out of the bushes and pushed past Aragorn to stand next to Frodo. "Mr. Frodo is not going anywhere without me!" he stated proudly.

"No indeed it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." Lord Elrond looked more amused than angry at the hobbit's sudden appearance. Sam blushed a little as he remembered that he really wasn't supposed to be here.

"Oi, were coming to!" Merry shouted as he and Pippin shot out from behind the pillars where they had been hiding. Lord Elrond looked at them as they ran past him with disbelief. This was supported to be a secret council!

"Yeah, you'll have to tie us up in a sack and send us home to stop us." Merry continued, proudly standing beside Sam.

"Anyway," added Pippin, "You need people with intelligence on this sort of mission, quest, thing."

"Well that rules you out Pip." Merry whispered to him. Pippin nodding in agreement before he comprehended just what Merry had said and what his words implied. A little scowl took hold of his features and he let out a huff.

"Twelve companion's, so be it. You will be the Fellowship of the Ring." Lord Elrond looked quite proud of the title he bestowed upon them.

This was to be a defining moment in history. And if they were successful, a moment that would be told to future generations. The Fellowship stood together as one and proud, enjoying the moment. Then it was promptly shattered.

"Great!" agreed Pippin, "Where are we going?"


	6. Chapter 6

Sunlight streamed in through a window, warming my face as I awoke. I turned over and saw at the bottom of the bed folded traveling clothes, just like Arwen promised.

That's right, we're leaving today. Even though I knew it was coming for many days, I felt like I wouldn't be ready if I had years to prepare myself. I sat up and pulled the clothes Arwen sent into my lap. My fingers traced over the intricate embroidered vines trailing across the front and sleeves. They were just like the ones I had seen Legolas wearing except that they were gray and silver.

A light tapping sounded from my door. "Lady Anabeth," The voice I recognized as Gandalf's. "We will be setting off soon. All the Fellowship will be gathering in the courtyard in but half an hour."

"I'll be down in few minutes." I called out in reply. Quickly I undressed and put the elven garments on. I had new boots that Arwen told me would hold up longer than mine would. She promised me that she would hold on to my old pair until I returned. The shirt felt warm and sturdy. I had been given a pair of elvish pants, but I put those in my pack in favor of my leggings. The rest of my bag was already packed, I thought it was a good idea to be ready to go at the break of dawn. I only had a few pieces of clothes, and a notebook and pencil that Lord Elrond had given me, so thankfully it would be decently light for the journey ahead. I came across my phone and mulled over what to do with it. The charge was almost at 50% and it would be one more thing to carry. Then again it was my last link to home. Slipping it into the folds of my pants to ensure it wouldn't be easily damaged I then latched up the bag.

After finishing lacing up my shirt I grabbed my bag and ran out of my room.

The conversation Gandalf had with me after the council a few days ago replayed in my mind.

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The council dispersed "It was very brave of you to pledge yourself to this quest."

"Thank yo…" I started.

"And very stupid. You have no idea the gravity of the events surrounding us. You are no fighter."

"It was you who said I may have a part to play." I countered.

"But I didn't mean this." Gandalf glowered. "Why must the young run headlong into danger."

"I'm sorry."

"You apologize too much Alexia Thrusher." Gandalf muttered.

"I'm sorry," I blurted without thinking, "I'm sorry you said… damn it I'm sorry. Jeez I'll stop talking now."

"Yes, I think that would be wise." Gandalf said, a little bit of mirth twinkled in his eyes. "I was impressed with the wisdom you showed at the council. Where did you learn of this 'guerrilla warfare'?"

"In college, I'm majoring in history with a concentration in military history. I was wanting to be a history teacher or professor." I stopped, Gandalf was smiling to himself.

"I think I know why you were sent, new ways of fighting could be of use to us."

"I wasn't sent, it was a fluke of nature." I insisted.

We came to my bedroom door and Gandalf opened it for me, "In my many long years on this Earth I have found that nothing happens without a reason."

"I made a promise to Frodo today, I intend to keep it."

"And I would expect nothing less of one such as you. But I caution, thing arte not always as they appear. Get rest, you are unlikely to find much of it the coming months." He closed my door leaving me alone.

What was I doing?

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"Alex," I heard Arwen coming down the steps behind me as I headed away from my room. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her voice trembled a little as she continued to speak to me. "I had this made for you." She brought from behind herself a small bow carved of snow white wood and inlaid with swirling carvings. She also carried a sheath of elven arrows.

"These are so beautiful," I said as she placed them in my hands. Her generosity never ceased to astound me. "Thank you. You didn't have to do this. I must confess I don't really know how to use these." Sure, in girl scouts I had earned the archery patch, and I wasn't terrible at it, but if I was being honest I would probably shoot myself in the foot before making use of it.

"I wouldn't want to send my friend into the wild with naught to defend herself." She finished with handing me a small set of double edged daggers about the length of my forearm. I strapped the daggers to my hips and the bow with the sheath of arrows to my back.

"I wish there was a way I could repay you." I embraced her and she started to shake and her tears began to fall no matter how hard she tried to stop them. "What's wrong?' I asked.

"Aragorn has asked me to leave with my kin and take the ships in the Grey Havens to Valinor. But I still have hope, though I fear he does not share it."

"Then I think you should hold to that hope. I've seen how Aragorn looks at you and I feel he would not be leaving on this quest if not for you and the hope you would live."

"I wish I had more time to know you," Arwen spoke softly." We shall meet again. Namarie mellon nin."

Her language was lost on me, but it was beautiful and I assumed she was saying goodbye,

"Good bye." I said hugging her again.

I turned and walked through the trees into the courtyard. I felt my chest tightening and my heart felt like it was breaking with each step I took away. Fear was what I felt the most of. What if I never saw my family again? It was a real possibility. I held a leash on my emotions when the rest of the Fellowship came into sight, waiting at the gate.

Kili turned and smiled as he saw me enter the courtyard and I came to stand next to him returning his smile. "You ready?" He asked me.

"No," I admitted. "Let's do this."

He grinned a little wider then he turned and looked at Lord Elrond who had stepped forward.

"The Ring-Bearer is setting out on a Quest to Mount Doom. On you who travel with him no oath nor bond is laid to go further than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose, and may the blessings of the Elves, Men and free folk go with you." He finished by bowing his head to which Aragorn, Legolas, and Gandalf returned.

I looked up at the crowd gathered before us and caught sight of Arwen, but her eyes were trained on Aragorn who held her gaze. He bowed his head to her before walking out the gate.

As I walked through the gate I heard Frodo ask a question, "Mordor, Gandalf is it left or right?"

"Left." Gandalf replied, smiling at the simple question.

The Fellowship turned left down the path, and so began our journey.

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After about half a day's walk we stopped for a rest among some large boulders. Frodo and Sam set to making the evening meal. Gandalf, Gimli, and Legolas sat on some of the large racks, Legolas keeping his eyes trained on the horizon as our self-appointed look out.

The rest of us watched as Boromir attempted to give a sword lesson to Merry and Pippin, so far they weren't doing too bad.

"Move your feet." Aragorn sat to the side smoking his pipe and calling out some pointers to the small hobbits.

"Do you want to give it a try?" Boromir called over to me.

"Yes, thank you." And I got up pulling out the twin daggers Arwen had given me.

"Now the important thing is to keep moving and find a weak spot in your enemies' defenses. If you can't keep out of the way of their weapons you need to block their attack. Like this," and Boromir brought his sword down fast toward my head and instinctively I raised my daggers, crossing them and blocking his sword.

"Good." Boromir swiped his sword down, like he was going to cut my legs and I quickly lowered my daggers and caught the blow before it could touch me.

"Now, Merry it's your turn." And Boromir turned his sword on the small hobbit. However Merry wasn't quick enough and the edge of the sword caught his hand, causing him to drop his own with a squeal. "I'm sorry." Boromir moved to try to comfort Merry who was cradling him arm to his chest.

Just when I thought Merry had been seriously hurt I saw a hint of mischief flit across his eyes just before he yelled out, "Get him!" And both he and Pippin tackled Boromir to the ground.

Aragorn stepped forward to help, "Now that's enough." The two hobbits then turned on him and brought him to the ground.

My Monkeys, I caught myself calling them. The nickname I had for my cousins sent a pang in my chest, but it fit them.

"Careful boys." I said, reaching forward and untangling the small hobbits from the two large men.

"You're lucky she's here to protect you! Or you'd get a sword right up your yackxy."

"Whoa, language." I shouted in good humor, "Does that mean the same thing here?"

Fili was smoking a pipe up on a bolder with his brother, "If you mean he want to shove his sword up their…"

"Ok I get the picture thank you very much."

Fili grinned.

I moved back to sit on the rock next to Fili and Kili who were still laughing at Merry and Pipin's antics.

"They sure have a lively younglings." Fili commented.

Up on the boulders I saw Gandalf and Gimli seemingly arguing about something. "Do you know what's going on?" I asked.

"I think they are arguing about which path to take. Gimli wants to go through the Mines of Moria, but Gandalf wishes to take another path." Kili answered my question. "Gimli say Balin is the ruler of Moria." Kili turned telling his brother.

"He is? It would be a good to be able to speak with him again." Fili said.

"Who is Balin, if I may ask?" they spoke about him with great reverence.

"Balin was among the eldest and wisest to go on the Quest to Erebor to reclaim our homeland with our Uncle." Kili smiled as he spoke about his old mentor. "His was the only voice of reason that could get through our uncle's thick skull. I hope we see him soon."

"We may yet, who knows where this quest may lead us." Fili handed his brother the pipe. "So Lady Alex, what happened to your hair?"

"What?" I asked, reaching up to feel the short tips. "Is there something in my hair? Is it a bug?!" my eyes went wide and I scrambled up feeling around for anything skittering about.

Fili and Kili snickered.

"No your hair is perfect," Kili caught my arm, pulling me down to sit again, "there is just so little of it."

"It's not really an interesting story, I was just walking by the salon one day and…" Something caught my eye in the distance. "What is that?" I said loud enough so all could hear. I pointed to a dark cloud like mass in the distance.

"It is but a wisp of cloud." Gimli was the first to respond to my question.

"It's moving fast, and against the wind." Boromir observed and he disentangled himself again from where the hobbits had pulled him to the ground.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Shouted Legolas.

"Hide!" Aragorn ran to put out the fire Sam had just lit for supper.

Everyone dove behind rocks and under bushes. Kili grabbed my arm and pulled me between two boulders with him. We had just gotten out of sight when the sound of fluttering wings and screeching flew over us. It lasted for only a few seconds before the air grew quiet. I then noticed how close Kili and I were. We stood face to face, and even though the danger had passed, he had not moved from our hiding spot.

"What are you doing?" I asked because I noticed his gaze lingering a little too long on my face.

"Hiding." He said innocently, giving me a crocked grin.

"Well," I breathed in deeply. "I think we can go out now." I turned my head to hide my rapidly reddening face and moved past him out into the open.

"Spies of Saruman." Gandalf spat out, disgusted. "The passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras."

I looked around at the rest of the fellowship, at least the rest of them looked daunted at the sight of the snow covered mountain.

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The wind lashed at my face and I pulled my traveling cloak closer around myself. No matter how hard I shivered it wasn't enough to warm my body up. Looking to my right Legolas was walking on top of the snow instead of sinking right through it like the rest of us.

"How are you doing that?" I asked him.

"Elves are naturally light." was his simple and short reply.

Seeing that he wasn't going to add anything else I tried to start a different conversation. "You're not much of a talker are you?"

"What topic to you wish to speak about?" He quirked his eyebrow.

"Um..." I really hadn't thought that through. "How about the weather?"

He looked down at me with the closest thing to a smile I had seen on him since we had met.

Legolas was about to say something when we hear Aragorn call out behind us. "Frodo!"

Turning around I saw Frodo tumbling back down the path we had taken until he was caught by Aragorn. When he was back on his feet he reached into his shirt, frantically reaching around. It only took a second for me to guess what was wrong as Boromir picked the Ring up by its chain. He gazed at it longingly and began to speak like a man caught in a trance, "It is a strange fate, that we should suffer so much fear and doubt, over so small a thing. Such a little thing."

"Boromir!" Aragorn spoke firmly to him, breaking Boromir out of his thoughts. He looked around before setting eyes on Frodo and Aragorn.

"Give the Ring to Frodo." continued Aragorn, slowly reaching his hand to his sword.

Boromir walked to Frodo, holding the Ring above his head, "As you wish" and Frodo grabbed the Ring from his hands. "I care not." Boromir ruffled Frodo's hair before he started back up the mountainside, leaving the rest of the Fellowship uneasy.

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Going up the mountain Kili couldn't help but remember the last time he had traveled through the mountains. The thunder battle between the stone giants had nearly killed all in his company. The Fellowship had been traveling for several hours and they had not encountered anything of that sort and Kili held onto the hope that this trip would be uneventful.

The biting cold had cut off all conversation between the members of the company. The snow had become so deep that the hobbits had to be carried by Aragorn and Boromir. Alex moved back to walk close to Kili and his brother so she would not be lost in the snow that was deeper than her head, and towered of them.

The fellowship came to a thin precipice that was spared the deepest of the snow drifts, the biggest coming up only to their knees.

Suddenly a surprised gasp came from in front of Kili and he saw that Alex had lost her footing and was now skidding toward the edge of the thin cliff they walked on. She almost went over the edge just as Kili wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back to the wall.

"Alex, Alex! Are you alright? Alex?" She was staring straight ahead and didn't seem to hear him. Her breathing was becoming increasingly ragged and uneven which worried him. Kili took her face in his hands and shook her harder, "Alex, answer me! Are you hurt?"

Coming out of her daze she looked at him, "I'm fine. Just really don't like heights." she whispered out. Her hands came up and gripped his, like they anchored her to the mountainside.

"What happened?" Gandalf called from the front bringing the two of them back to the realization they weren't alone.

Alex's face reddened but she didn't let go of Kili's hands. Point of fact she moved closer to Kili, who wrapped his other arm around her in an attempt to keep her warm and stop her shaking.

Fili saw that neither of them was going to answer Gandalf anytime soon let out an exasperated sigh and answered for them, "Everyone's fine, Alex just lost her footing for a moment."

The wind began to pick up, swirling and beating against the travelers.

"There is a fell voice on the air!" Legolas spoke from the front of the group.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf yelled just as avalanche of snow and rock rained down upon the Fellowship.

Kili pushed Alex closer to the wall of the mountain, trying to keep some of the rock and debris from hitting her.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf we must turn back!" Aragorn yelled to Gandalf, if this continued much longer they would all surely perish.

"No!" Gandalf stepped to the very edge of the cliff and began chanting in a language that Kili didn't understand. Gandalf's voice seemed to mingle and fight for dominance with the malevolent voice that floated in the air about them.

In the end the other voice won out and a quick burst of lightning struck the mountain unleashing a violent rock slide that buried the Fellowship. For moment the cliff was silent then one by one they crawled out of the snow.

"We must get off the mountain, make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city." shouted up to Gandalf.

"No," Aragorn said before Gandalf could answer. "The Gap of Rohan takes us to close to Isengard!"

Gimli spoke up with another option, "If we cannot pass over the mountain, then let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria."

Gandalf looked at the Fellowship, all were cold and tired, and the hobbits wouldn't last much longer. Resigned he made his choice, "Let the Ring-Bearer decide."

"We cannot stay here!" Boromir shouted over the roaring wind. "This will be the death of the hobbits."

"Frodo." Gandalf prodded the hobbit for an answer.

"We will go through the mines."

"So be it." Gandalf said with a finality that seemed to seal someone's grave.

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The Fellowship finally made it off the mountain pass. Now that they were away from the roaring winds and the freezing cold Kili decided to talk to Anabeth. Ever since her close call Alex had been quiet, even for her. She had also not left his side, and whether she did this knowingly or not Kili did not know.

They had fallen to the back of the group where the others wouldn't be able to hear them if they spoke softy. Save for the e

"Hey," he said putting an arm around her slim shoulders, "Are you sure you're ok? You've hardly spoken a word."

"I'm fine. I wasn't expecting that to happen." she shook her head as if trying to dispel a dream. Alex raised her face and trained her gaze on him. "Thank you for what you did."

"Well I wasn't going to let you fall."

"Not just that." she said, looking into his eyes. "Um… never mind."

Kili was about to ask her what she meant when Gimli spoke up in awe, "The walls of Moria!"


	7. Chapter 7

"The Walls of Moria!" Gimli spoke in awe.

I looked up and I could see why. The wall was literally made of the mountainside. It stretched up into the dark night beyond where I could see. The Fellowship had come closer together and Frodo had moved to walk beside me and Kili.

I could still feel Kili's eyes on me after our conversation but I pretended not to notice. Give me a five am deadline for a ten page essay, or quiz me on Caesar's battle formations in Battle of Pharsalus and I'm your girl. But in dealing with guys, the closest I ever got to a boyfriend was my best guy friend who I played video games with when we should have been doing homework.

I continued to stare at the gigantic wall before me when I heard a splash. Frodo had placed his foot on what he probably thought was solid land and he fell into water up to his knees.

"Are you ok?' I asked him, grabbing his upper arm and helping him out of the muddy water.

"I'm fine." He answered. "Thank you."

"You should be careful," I brushed off some of the mud that had splashed up on his cloak. "You never know, there might be a sea monster down there."

Frodo laughed a little at my attempt at humor but he stopped when Aragorn shot us a stern glance.

"What?" I asked. "Please tell me you're joking!"

Aragorn walked up to me and Frodo while keeping his cautious gaze on the still lake, "There used be legends of a water watcher in this lake, it would be wise to leave the water undisturbed."

I nodded and we walked back to where the others had moved on.

"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli said to Gandalf who was feeling along the wall.

"Indeed Gimli, even their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten." Gandalf spoke out in a contemplative murmur. I hoped that this was not going to be the case here.

Legolas looked at the three dwarfs, "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Gimli took the comment in stride, though nowhere near happy about it. The younger dwarf princes, however, did not. I saw Fili and Kili bristle, glaring at the elf who had turned his back on them. They started to move towards him. Great the last thing we needed was a fight to break out between us.

I rushed over and put myself between them and the oblivious elf. Fili brushed past me but I was able to grab Kili's arm as he passed. Even with my feet planted in the dirt Kili easily kept barreling forward, all but dragging me behind. "Come on guys, let it go." I pleaded. Incredulity laced their expressions. "Let it go, it's not worth it."

"She's right." Aragorn came over. I was thankful for his intervention. "I will speak to Legolas about his words, but we cannot afford to let a rift open between us."

Fili and Kili nodded in agreement.

"Only starlight and moonlight can tell." Gandalf murmured turning. The clouds pulled back revealing the moon, its light revealing blue, silvery carvings outlining a door on the side of the mountain.

"It reads 'The Door's of Durin, Lord of Moria, speak friend and enter." Gandalf translated.

"What do you suppose that means?" asked Merry.

Gandalf looked to us all and explained, "Oh it's quite simple. If you are a friend you speak the password and the doors will open." He put his staff on the door. "Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen!"

"Nothing's happening." Pipin commented.

Gandalf tried to force the doors open, "I used to know every spell in the tongues of Elves, Men and Orcs."

"What are you going to do then?" Pipin asked.

"Knock you head against these doors Peregrin Took and if that does not shatter them and I am allowed some peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words." He turned back to the wall. "Fennas nogothrim, lasto beth lammen. Ando Eldarinwa, a lasta quettanya, Fenda Casarinwa."

"Oh, it's useless." Gandalf threw down his staff and sat defeated.

"It's a riddle." Frodo jumped up with his realization. "Speak friend, and enter. What's the elvish word for friend?"

"Mellon."

As soon as the word left Gandalf's mouth deep creaking resonated in the air, the ground beneath our feet rumbled. Massive doors opened in the seamless wall.

"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarf's. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone." Gimli proclaimed proudly, entering the doorway. "This, my friends, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!"

A putrid smell filled the air. When Gandalf brought forth a light from his staff, it's illumination revealed the reason. Covering the ground were decomposing bodies, many of which had been ripped apart.

"This is no mine, it's a tomb." Boromir exclaimed.

Gimli sprinted to a fallen dwarf, crying out in anguish. Fili and Kili ran over to him, looking down at the dead dwarves in disbelieve.

Legolas pulled an arrow out of a dead body, "Goblins." he spat, pulling out one of his own arrows. I followed suit.

"We make for the gap of Rohan. We should never have come here, now get out of here. Get out!" Backing towards the entrance Boromir pulled his sword out.

I ran to Kili, grabbing his shoulder, "Kili I'm so sorry. We need to go. Come on."

"HELP!" Frodo cried. My head whipped around at his cry. He was being pulled back to the lake by a gray tentacle that had wrapped around his feet.

"Frodo!" I screamed running to him. The hobbits slashed at the tentacle with their small swords. It let go of Frodo for a moment.

Then the lake exploded, dozens of slimy testicles shot out grabbing Frodo around the waste, hoisting him up into the air.

I shot arrows down at the beast, surprised to find more than a few hit their mark. The water split open and a monstrous face leered at its prey. With a roar it opened its mouth to swallow Frodo whole. Frodo fell to the ground as Aragorn cut through the tentacle holding him and Boromir caught Frodo.

"Into the mines!" screamed Gandalf.

The creature hulled itself out of the lake and tried to squeeze into the small opening. The force created by it slamming its body repeatedly into the door shook the ground. The last of us cleared the door way when tons of rocks fell, covering the entrance and plunging us into darkness.

"We have but one choice." Gandalf hit his staff on the ground illuminating the room. "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world. Quietly now, it's a four day journey to the other side, let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

We walked in the blackness for hours. The fact that we were underground caused a tightening in my chest. I kept looking for a window, a sliver of sunlight but there was nothing. However Kili and Fili seemed right at home this deep under the earth.

Our path led us to a walkway that faced a wall on one side, and on the other opened into a great chasm. Remembering how I had almost fallen in the mountains, I pressed myself as close to the wall as possible.

"The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels," Gandalf broke the silence our company had fallen into. He pointed his staff down into the chasm, which by his light filled with a pure silvery brightness. "but in mithril. Bilbo has a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him."

"He did?!" Fili looked to Gandalf surprised.

"That was a kingly gift, indeed." exclaimed Gimli.

"Aye it was." Gandalf agreed. "You know I never told him, but it's worth was more than the whole of the shire."

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The path we took came to a fork. Three tunnels branched off in different directions.

"I have no memory of this place." Gandalf said.

Aragorn decided that while Gandalf mused over which way to go, we should all take a break and rest. Frodo had sat down by Gandalf and they spoke to each other quietly in hushed tones.

"Merry," whispered Pippin, "I'm hungry."

I smiled that Pippin could think of food at a time like this. I heard movement to my left and which revealed itself to be Kili who sat down next to me on the cold rock, our backs to most of the company. We sat on a large outcropping that sheared off into a dark pit below.

"Would you like a drink?' Kili held out a flask.

Now that I thought about it I was perched. Taking the flask I tipped it back and took a big drink.

Immediately a coughing fit hit me. The liquid was bitter and held a distinct alcohol sting. "Wow what is that?"

He patted my back while I caught my breath, "Port. I should have warned you, forgive me."

"No problem," I handed the flask back, "this place is amazing." The cavernous room we were in was so huge you could sit my whole college campus inside it. "How did your people build it?"

"Very carefully," He answered with a cheeky grin, "in all honesty it takes lifetimes. But we dwarves are nothing if not patient and steadfast."

"Could I have another drink?" holding my hand out to the flask.

"Of course." Kili handed it over. "Our longer lifespans allows us to see our work come to fruition. On my seventieth birthday I finally saw the great hall of the Blue Mountains finished."

I nearly choked. I pressed my hand to my mouth to keep the port from spilling everywhere.

"Your what?!" My voice squeaked.

"Does no one live that long where you are from?"

"Of course people do." I said, "Just most don't look as good as you."

His head jerked up in surprise, cheeks red.

"What I mean is…" I downed another gulp.

"I think I know what you mean." Kili took the flash back with a smirk. Damn why'd he had to do that?

Reaching into his pocket Kili took out the small rock I'd seen him with the first night we talked.

"What is that?"

"It's a dwarfish talisman, very powerful. If any but a dwarf reads the runes upon it they would be cursed forever." He thrust is at me face.

Quickly I averted my eyes, fear shooting through my skin.

"Or not." Kili quipped.

I glanced back up. Kili grinned ear to ear, tossing the stone up and down. "You trickster." And I shoved him hard. At least I thought it was hard, he down sway one bit. "Damn your solid." Shaking my hand to rid it of the slight pounding that had taken over my fingertips.

He took it in good humor, "Of all the things a woman has called me, that is indeed the first I've been called solid. Let me see your hand." Kili made to take my hand. "You should be careful, I'm hard to hurt."

"Hey, hey I'm fine." I playfully held it out of his reach.

"You looked like you were in pain." Kili made to grab my hand again.

I crossed my arms behind my back, "I don't want it to go to your head. I'm tougher than I look."

"I hope you are, because you look like a dainty maiden."

I gasped and thwacked him upside his head. He grunted, "Ok, maybe you can hurt me a bit." He chuckled.

"Ahh!" cried of Gandalf happily from above us. "It's that way."

"He's remembered!" Merry exclaimed, scrambling to his feet.

"No. The air down here doesn't smell so foul. If in doubt Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

Gandalf started down the path with the rest of the Fellowship following. Kili and I looked at each other before rushing to catch up.

"Let us risk a little more light." Gandalf's staff grew brighter. "Behold the great realm and dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf!"The room we were in was huge. No, huge was an understatement. It was like a whole country had been built under the mountain. Majestic pillars reached up into the dark and the room stretched beyond what I could see. To carve even one of the pillars must have taken decades. If only we had been able to see this place when it was full of life.

"That's and eye opener no mistake." Sam said in awe.

Kili beamed up at the carved stone, "This is the first I've laid eyes on these halls. Thorin's stories do not do them justice."

Fili stopped beside him, "No, they do not. Come brother."

"Kili," I whispered and he leaned closer, "this is beautiful."

We walked a few hundred meters with no change from the darkness enveloping everything beyond Gandalf's light.

"Haugh!" Gimli suddenly cried as he sprinted to a room on our left that had a single beam of light streaming through an opening in the wall.

"Gimli!" Gandalf shouted as we scrambled after him.

We came in to a chamber carved of gray stone and filled with the fallen bodies of more dwarves. Though I saw Gimli stop and stare in despair at them he fixated on one in particular. A great tomb was set in the center of the room, the beam of light illuminating it like it was the last hope that drew the dwarves here where they perished. An inscription was all that adorned the sarcophagus.

Gandlaf ran his fingers over the runes, "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then, it is as I feared."

Gimli had fallen to his knees before the tomb and cried openly. Kili and Boromir came up behind him and layed their hands on his shoulders. Kili and Fili looked at the tomb, at all that remained of their friend and great mentor with empty eyes.

"We must move on, we cannot linger." Legolas whispered to Aragorn.

Fili reached out his hand as if he wanted to touch the tomb and confirm the horrible truth before him. He moved around the tomb and let out a cry, joining Gimli on the ground. Kili rushed to his brother's side.

"Ori." Fili said looking at a dwarf who clutched an old cracked tome in his hands. Guarding it, even in death. "His journal was more precious to him than all the gold in Erebor. He was such a good lad, he didn't deserve this fate."

Gandalf came over and gently lifted the book from Ori's grasp, and handing his hat and staff to Pippin. After he moved out of the way I went to the brothers' side. It wasn't fair that they had to endure this on top of everything they had been through. I couldn't help myself as I took Kili's hand in mine and put my other on Fili's shoulder. It was a ridiculously small display of sympathy compared to all they had lost.

"They have taken the bridge and the second hall." Gandalf read from the book. Fili and Kili shuddered as they heard the last dying words of their dear friend. "We have barred the gates, but cannot hope to hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums… drums in the deep. We cannot get out." The rest of the Fellowship looked around at the walls of the room, looking for the unseen enemy that haunted the pages of the book. The hobbits huddled together except for Pippin who backed up slowly towards a well, clutching Gandalf's hat close to him.

Gandalf continued to read, "A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out…They are coming."

I felt a chill creep down my spine at the finality of those words. I crushed my eyes shut, trying to block out the images of what had surely followed.

CRASH! BANG BANG BANG!

A deafening sound came from where Pippin stood looking sheepish. I noticed that the dwarf that had been sitting on the well where he died was no longer there.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf thundered and he barreled towards the young hobbit, ripping his hat and staff from Pippin's hands. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

Gandalf turned to the rest of the Fellowship.

boom.

He turned back to the well, looking fearfully at the dark opening.

boom.

Boom.

Boom!

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Horrible, inhuman screeches could be heard in the distance, getting closer and louder with each second.

"Frodo!" Sam cried out and Frodo looked down, pulling out his sword glowing with a bright blue light.

"Orcs!" Legolas confirmed.

Boromir ran to the door to close it then violently he whipped his head back, a crude arrow just barely missing his face.

"Boromir!" I screamed running to help him.

"I'm fine." He said looking to Aragorn and me, grabbing the axes we had picked up from the ground and bared the door. "They have a cave troll." Nodding in the direction of the entrance.

We backed away from the door.

"Stay close to Gandalf.' Aragorn shouted at the hobbits.

Aragorn, Legolas, Kili and I pulled out our bows and aimed them at the entrance. The door was already shaking on its hinges and holes where appearing where some orcs had busted though. A spear appeared in one of these holes, but before the orc could release it Legolas shot off an arrow killing the orc.

"Let them come," growled Gimli from atop the tomb clutching both his war axes in his hands. He looked like he was ready to take on the all orcs himself, "there are three dwarves yet in Moria who still draw breath!"

Fili and Kili stood on either side of the tomb looking fiercer and more deadly than I had ever seen them before. If didn't even think Kili had it in him to look so scary.

The doors exploded inwards and dozens of foul, deformed creatures poured in. One of them came straight at me, probably thinking I was an easy target. I let the arrow I had been holding go and it embedded itself in the center of the creature's forehead, killing it instantly. There was little time to feel relief as five more immediately took its place. I shot off arrows, one right after the other. Little time was spent to see if I had killed my marks. All that mattered to me right now is that the foul things went down before it got to me or one of the hobbits behind us.

Aragorn had abandoned his bow for his sword and now both he and Boromir slashed at the enemy, beheading and stabbing orcs with deadly precision.

I had been pushed back to a pillar where Fili and Sam fought back to back. Sam had lost his sword sometime early in the brawl and he brandished a frying pot in his hand. I crouched next to them, shooting orcs that they missed with their blade and pot.

Suddenly Fili let out a gasp of shock as an orc he failed to notice was about to bring it's serrated black blade down on him. Then just as suddenly the orc was unconscious on the ground, the air reverberating with the metallic twang of the pot Sam had just hit it with.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Sam cried out triumphantly before proceeding to whack another orc in the face.

Fili smiled as he looked down at the hobbit. "Aye I think you are!"

The orcs around us were beginning to dwindle in number. We might actually win this.

A roaring snarl filled the chamber and the largest, ugliest thing I had ever seen plowed through the stone surrounding that door, sending deadly shards in all directions.

I ducked Sam under my arms, shielding his head and neck with my arms. The razor sharp rocks pinged safely off my elvish tunic. "What is that?" I screamed.

"A troll!" Fili shouted back. "We've dealt with them before, but never one like this!"

Though the troll was bound in chains by the orcs, it made no distinction in who it attacked. It killed many of the remaining orcs as it tried to get at us. It saw Gimli still on top of the tomb and reared it's club back before slamming it down, shattering the tomb as Gimli jump away. This only enraged Gimli more and he roared as he ran to the troll's legs, hacking away with his axes.

The troll swatted at Gimli but was hindered by the chains the orcs held it in. Having enough it ripped them out of the orcs' grasp. It used the chains to swing at Legolas who in the midst of battle had made it to the second level of the room. After slamming the chain down and just barely missing the elf a large link caught on a pillar. Legolas ran across the chain and jumped on the troll's back, shooting double arrows down on its head.

I couldn't see what happened next as one of the surviving orcs jumped in front of me, filling my vision. It didn't have a weapon so it grabbed me by the throat and with its other hand knocked away by bow. I couldn't breathe, the world started to look fuzzy and disorienting. My fingers clawed desperately at the creatures hands around my neck. With my free hand I tried to punch it in the face, but my blow was devastatingly weak from my lack of oxygen. It shoved me up against a wall, knocking what little air I had in my lungs out. As everything started to go dark I remembered the daggers Arwen had given me. I reached my hand down; thankfully the orc was too gleeful in the death it was dealing, that it didn't notice the movement. It pulled its misshapen lips back showing shark-like teeth in a sickly grin of triumph. My searching hand found the handle to one of the blades. I pulled it out and brought it up with my remaining strength. The blade caught the orc right under its mouth freezing its face in that smile and traveling up into its brain, ending the fight. Vaguely in my haze I heard a loud thump across the chamber.

Finally the orc released its grasp on me as it slumped to the ground. I heaved in the deepest breath I could manage and looked around. The chamber had grown eerily silent. I saw my friends gathering in one corner of the room, sadness evident on their faces.

With a start I scrambled to my feet, only to fall back to the ground. Boromir and Kili who were standing closest to me rushed over and each took one of my arms to steady me. Kili brushed a hand along my bruised neck.

"What happened?" I almost didn't want to know.

"It's Frodo." Kili replied solemnly, removing his hand. I was right I didn't want to know this.

We came to where the others were. Aragorn crouched over a figure lying face down on the floor with a spear protruding from its abdomen. "Oh no." he whispered out in despair.

My heart clenched painfully at the sight of the small little hobbit. "Oh God." I croaked out, leaning into Kili who stood next to me. We looked down at Frodo in shared grief.

Aragorn tuned Frodo's body over. He was still for a moment before he let out a hiss of pain and sat up. The spear fell away revealing that Frodo had no wound!

"I'm alright. I'm not hurt." He assured us rubbing his stomach like all he had suffered from the troll's attack was a bruised rib.

I stumbled over and crushed Frodo carefully in a hug, kissing his forehead in relief. "Thank God!"

"You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar." Aragorn exclaimed.

"I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye." Gandalf raise a knowing eyebrow at Frodo.

Frodo opened his shirt showing a silvery chainmail undershirt. Sam and I brushed our fingertips over the material, the metal rings were warm and soft to the touch.

"Mirthril!" Gimli said, "You're full of surprises Master Baggins!"

Kili knelt down to help Frodo off the floor, mirth showing on his face, "Just like Bilbo."

The inhuman screams began to fill the chamber again.

"Their coming back!" Fili said running to the busted door.

"To the Bridge of Khazad-dum." Gandalf lead us out of the chamber.


	8. Chapter 8

We ran though the huge dwarf city. Thousands of orcs poured in from the ceiling and in every direction there were hoards of them blocking our escape. They surrounded us, only the small light from Gandalf's staff forming a circle of space between us and them.

In one hand I held onto Merry, in the other Pippin. They had started to lag behind, but my grip was firm. Fearful of their fate should they stay even a foot away from us. Above us the things spilled out from a crack in the stone like swarming ants.

The chatter and clanking of weapons was so loud that when it abruptly stopped I thought I had gone deaf for a second.

A low, menacing growl came from the far end of the city. The orcs looked at each other in fear, clicking back and forth to each other before slithering back up the pillars away from us.

Another growl resounded around us.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked Gandalf.

Gandalf had his head bent, his face scrunched up in pain. "A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world."

Legolas, seemingly the most fearless of all of us, had blatant terror etched into his face. His light blue eyes stared deep into the red ember light flickering like an open flame.

"This foe is beyond any of you… RUN!" Gandalf shouted.

A small opening under a fallen column lead to a stairway. Boromir continued to run until the stairs ended abruptly, his momentum almost carrying him over the edge. Legolas grabbed on to his shirt from behind and pulled him back at the last second.

I looked down at the stairs before us. They sat on impossibly high stilts that held them up over a dark abyss. The crumbling walkways were only wide enough for about three people to walk side-by-side and the edges just dropped off without any railings. Under normal circumstances nothing would get me to cross stairs like these, but with rumbling growls shaking the ground and the glow of a fiery inferno following us, I had no arguments.

I was the third to last to pass through the opening, followed by Aragorn and Gandalf.

"Lead them on Aragorn, the bridge is near."

Another growl shook us, knocking loose huge hunks of stone. Aragorn turned toward the noise with his sword drawn and prepared to charge whatever creature pursued us. I pulled out my bow and arrow ready to follow. I was not going to let him face this thing alone.

Gandalf grabbed both of us and threw us back with surprising strength. "Do as I say! Swords and bows are of no more use here."

We moved down the stairs. The ground shook and lurched beneath our feet. Continuous pounding broke loose stalactites the size of small buildings, luckily missing the path we ran along. Fire filled the doorway Aragorn and I had tried to run through only seconds ago.

A break had opened up about six feet wide, splitting the stairway. The only way across would be to jump. Legolas flew through the air and landed nimbly on the other side. "Gandalf." He called over, waving for the wizard to jump next.

Gandalf jumped across and landed almost as gracefully as the elf. Boromir grabbed Merry and Pippin and went across with them. Fili and Kili jumped at the same time, clearing the other side just by the skin of their teeth, the stairs where they had just jumped from giving way.

Arrows began to rain down on us, hitting the floor just beyond our feet. Those of us with bows shot off arrows in the enemy's general direction.

"Alex your next." Aragorn reached for me.

"Sam first!" I yelled, dodging an arrow shot my way.

Aragorn threw Sam to the other side then grabbed for Gimli, "No one tosses a dwarf!" And Gimli leaped across, not quite making it. Legolas caught his beard pulling him the rest of the way over, "Not the beard!"

The stairs under my feet began cracking and falling away. Aragorn hooked his arm under mine and hulled me and Frodo farther up the stairs. A twenty foot gap now separated Frodo, Aragorn and I from the rest of the Fellowship. The ground gave its most violent shake yet and a part of the roof gave way, shearing the stairs behind us apart. Only a thin cracking pillar held up our section of stairs which was quickly giving way.

The air was hot on my face and my lungs burned. The smoke and fear clenching them to the point I felt like I was drowning. I gulped. Frodo swayed to the side, before he went over I hugged him to my side, "Just hold on." I shouted over the dim.

Aragorn pulled Frodo and I close to his side as the stairs leaned dangerously far to the left then back. I looked down into the abyss wondering how far we would have to fall before we hit the bottom. Maybe it never ended.

"Alex!" I heard a voice shout my name, panic filling the deep tones and I locked eyes with Kili who stood on the other side.

"Lean forward!" Aragorn urged.

Our shaking platform shifted directions and lurched to where the rest of Fellowship stood. It collided with the stairs throwing us off. Legolas caught Aragorn and I, and Boromir caught Frodo.

The Fellowship finished running across the stairs and made it to the other side, the sound of the falling section of stairs crashed behind us.

Gandalf had fallen to the back and stared into the darkness where the deep growls rumbled from.

"Gandalf!" I cried out, running back to him.

I had just made it to him when out of the black, fire and smoke poured forth. A huge horned giant flew up and landed just in front of us, flames swirling around its body. It opened its mouth and roared, heat swirled an inferno around me. It had no eyes, only burning coals and its rage singed my skin and the tips of my hair.

I stood paralyzed, mouth agape and mind blank until Gandalf shoved at my back, pushing me towards the thin bridge that everyone but us had crossed.

I sprinted across with Gandalf following, not daring to look down. The devil's footsteps reverberated through the stone, it was nearly upon us.

"You cannot pass!" Gandalf shouted.

I turned from where I had almost made it across to see him standing before the behemoth. The monster merely snuffed in annoyance and put one of its clawed feet in the bridge. The rock cracked and heaved under its enormous weight.

"Gandalf!" Frodo screamed in horror.

"I am a member of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Annor." Gandalf raised his staff, a light shined out and enveloped him in a circle of brightness. "The dark fire will not avail you flame of Udun!"

It brought its flaming sword down on Gandalf. I screamed, believing that it would obliterate Gandalf. A bright light filled my vision and Gandalf was still standing there. His sword and staff raised while the balrog clutching its shattered sword.

"Go back to the shadow!"

The balrog stepped forward and brought around a whip made of fire, snapping it at Gandalf. Gandalf ducked and it soared over his head, the tip reached across the bridge. I ducked to my knees and I felt antagonizing burning pain in my right shoulder. The whip hadn't even touched me, but it close proximity set my tunic afire.

"Alex!" Someone shouted.

I stripped the tunic off, leaving nothing but a sleeveless wool undershirt behind. A quick glance at my arm showed bits of black skin. My bow and arrows had not survived and the burned remains fell with my shirt. My pack had long since been lost.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Gandalf shouted in a voice so loud I had to cover my ears. He slammed his staff and sword down on the bridge causing white light to explode outwards.

Whatever magic Gandalf had used didn't work! The balrog glared down at the wizard, huffing and stepping forwards. Then the stone under it fell away plunging the monster into the great chasm.

Gandalf turned to me, smiling in weary triumph and limping lightly forwards. I let out a breath I hadn't know I'd been holding and ran forward to help him.

Suddenly out of the pitch the balrog's whip shot up and wrapped around Gandalf's ankle and yanking him to the edge.

"Gandalf!" I yelled. I skidded to the ground when I reached him, one hand grabbing his dirty robes and the other arm bracing my weight and his on the rocky surface.

"Alex," he spoke sadly and calmly, "you need to let go."

"No! I can pull you up." But even as I said this I knew I couldn't. I could feel the flesh on the arm I used to brace us tearing and splitting open. My burnt skin cracked open, blood dribbled onto my hands making them slippery. The muffled voices of the others calling our names filtered into my consciousness. Feet pounded nearer and nearer. They weren't going to make it.

My purchase on the rock slipped and Gandalf and I were pulled closer to the edge. All the stood between Gandalf and the gapping black maw below was my hand on his wrist.

"Be strong my dear." Gandalf spoke, prying my fingers off him.

"What are you doing?" Tears covered my sweat stained face.

"Fly you fools!" He said loudly for all to hear, then he let go, falling into the darkness that swallowed him up greedily.

I laid there, starring downwards in disbelief, hoping the Gandalf would come flying back up. But my hands only gripped empty air.

"Alex!" Boromir shouted.

Familiar strong arms wrapped around my waist, hauling me up, but I couldn't make out who it was. They guided me on an unseen path through the darkness and into warm light, so warm it could only be daylight.

I couldn't enjoy this fact, not at the expense we had just paid. The strong arms continued leading me into the light, but my legs refused to go any further. I collapsed, hot salty tears streaming down my face.

The arms followed me to the ground and held me close. I heard heartbroken screaming. Was that me?

I gulped in huge lungfuls of air, trying to calm down. After what seemed like hours I stopped screaming and looked around noticing for the first time my surroundings.

Boromir and Fili had a hold of Gimli who was trying desperately to break free and run back into the mines.

Merry held Pippin as they both cried.

Sam sat on the ground, his head in his hands.

Legolas stared off into the distance, his face was expressionless but his eyes were full of anguish.

Aragorn stood apart, cleaning off his sword.

Someone moved right my arm and I took in a hissed breath between clenched teeth. I looked down and saw that my arm had been torn to shreds. Deep cuts wound up and down my right forearm and crimson blood gushed out, pooling on the ground. The burn looked even worse. Steady hands gently took my arm and began wrapping cloths around it, trying to stop the bleeding.

My eyes traveled up the arms and saw that it was Kili. I realized that it was him that had practicality carried me out of the mines and held me as I cried.

"Legolas, get them up." Aragorn called over.

"Give them a moment for pities sake!" Boromir shouted back angrily.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs. We must reach the woods of Lothlorien! Come on. Boromir, Gimli, Fili, Kili get them up."

Kili gently got me to my feet. "That was a brave thing you did."

I didn't answer. I numbly got to my feet and followed blindly.


	9. Chapter 9

The Fellowship ran for hours, sprinting through grassland and brush. The sky started to change from light blue to dark sapphire, the only marker they had for how much time had passed.

All the fellowship moved about in a daze. Kili had not felt such disorientation since Mirkwood. Alex stumbled in front, but kept pace with Boromir. Even though she was the only one able to run to Gandalf in the final moments and try to pull him up from the abyss, it was clear to Kili that she placed the blame of his death on herself.

It was like she had folded in on herself, the bright fire that Kili had seen burn behind her eyes dimmed to a low, flickering ember. She had not spoken a single word since they had fled the rocky slopes outside of Moria.

Her screams when they lost Gandalf cut right through him, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and protect her from such hurt from touching her ever again. It was beyond sorrow, it was like her hope fell into the chasm with Gandalf.

Hope did feel lost. Kili had known Gandalf since had was a little dwarfling. And now he was gone, just like his uncle, and Balin, and Ori. Was there anything in this life but grief and death? Kili was beginning to understand the gloom that Thorin had always worn on his shoulders.

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Their surroundings began to change. Ancient trees with silvery leaves adoring their branches like feathers drifted by. An eerie gray glow radiated dimly from the air around them. Kili instinctively pulled Alex closer. He expected her to pull away as she had done over the past days, but he was surprised when she curled closer, her dark brown eyes silently darting about the trees fearfully.

"Stay close young hobbits." Gimli gestured for the smallest of them to walk by his side. "They say a great sorceress lives in these woods, an elf-witch, or terrible power. All her look upon her fall under her spell, and are never seen again."

The young hobbits glanced into the trees, wanting to see any danger before it sneaked up on them.

Kili.

Kili stopped short. A soft woman's voice entered his mind sounding young and yet old and wise.

"Well here's one dwarf she wont ensnare so easily." Gimli broke into Kili thoughts with his boasting. "I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox. Ohh!"

Arrows sprouted from every direction, at least a dozen pointed at each of the Fellowship. Kili snarled at the elves, pulling out his sword and turning Alex in him arms so she would be partially shielded from the arrows.

However Alex broke from her near cationic state at that moment. Fury filled her face when she saw arrows in the little one's faces.

How dare they! She thought.

So little time after losing a loved one, the threat of the others in danger awakened the embers in her eyes to a blazing volcano. She now burned so brightly that several elves close to her and Kili took a couple steps back. Kili was not aware of this change in her and he took the elves fear as a sign that they were backing down. Glancing over at Alex he stumbled back at her expression. She had never looked so, so murderous, so full of rage.

Alex in a flash whipped out her twin daggers. She shot forward and in one swipe cut off the arrow heads on several of the elves' arrows pointed at the hobbits. The guards of Lothlorien had never been taken surprise before, least of all by a slip of a human girl.

Kili saw a blur of blue and silver and then the elf leader had Alex pinned to the ground, ripping her daggers out of her hand. All that stopped Kili from rushing to rip him off her was the three arrows at his throat. The elf having disarmed her started to get off the girl.

The mandatory self-defense class she had though was useless was coming in handy now. Her teacher's words rang in her head. "Fight dirty."

Alex's leg came up kicking the elf where it hurt. Bringing her knees to her chest, back braced on the ground, she pushed her legs forward with all her might. The elf was caught in the chest and he tumbled backwards ungracefully onto his ass.

Her adrenaline wore off. As the tall elf righted himself and bore down on where Alex was lying on the ground she skittered backwards, her boots kicking up dirt and dust. Hands up in surrender.

Quickly to avoid bloodshed Aragorn rushed forward. "Peace please! Peace, she is not in her right mind."

Kili reached down, and pulled her into his arms where she curled in on herself, all her strength crumbling visibly. He pushed her behind himself, annoyed that his height left her head and throat unshielded.

"Aragorn, these woods are perilous," Fili said edging closer to his brother and Alex making sure to keep his ax between the elves and them, "It would be a really good idea to..." He looked up at the tall elves still aiming their weapons at them, "to just go back...away...from here."

The leader of the elven guard glowered, "You have entered the Realm of the Lady of the Wood, you cannot go back. " He finished his sentence looking at the small human in the arms of the young dwarf. He continued warily, "Come, she is waiting."

The elves put away their weapons, keeping a careful watch on the Fellowship, ready to protect their home at a moment's notice.

As the Fellowship was led deeper into the wood's of Lothlorien they watched in awe as the trees became taller and taller, stretching up into the sky. Housings and walkways looked like they grew out of the trees themselves clung to the great limbs and branches high above their heads. The faint glow that they had noticed when they had first entered the forest now brightly shone like iridescent sunlight. The glow chased away the moonlight.

They came to a wide platform where the light was brightest. Stairs led up into light so pure that they had to shield their eyes as two figures descended towards them.

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I was still shaking slightly from what happened earlier. The leader that had pinned me to the ground led us to a platform high in the trees. Stairs led up into a light.

I covered my eyes as the two figures walked down the stairs before us. A tall man, uhh elf, came into my view first. He was dressed in light silver and his long blonde hair flowed past his shoulders. He held the hand of a young woman. I saw that the white light seemed to radiate off her, blinding me. Her face was obscured but I saw that she was tall covered completely in flowing white silk and her wavy blond hair streamed like a waterfall to her waist.

As the man and woman came to the last step the light surrounding the woman dimmed and I could see her face. The woman was angelic. It was the only word that could do her justice.

The man next to her looked to Aragorn. "Eleven there are, yet twelve there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar"

I heard a choking sob and everyone turned to me. It had came from me, but I didn't care if others saw my anguish. Gandalf was gone and it was my fault. I didn't save him.

The woman's blue eyes caught mine and I saw sympathy there, like she had heard my thoughts. She opened her mouth and spoke, my mother's soft voice came out tearing my heart, "Gandalf did not pass the borders of these woods." The man next to her looked at her, a hint of grief on his face. "He has fallen onto shadow."

Legolas looked up at her and spoke, his usually smooth voice catching in places. "He was taken by both shadow and flame, a Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria."

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life," The woman turned, her eyes piercing mine like she was speaking to me, "we do not yet know his full purpose."

Gimli and Fili who were standing next to me and Kili huffed, drawing her gaze.

"Do not let the great emptiness of Khazaddum fill your hearts Gimli son of Gloin and Fili heir of Thorin. For the world has grown full of peril and in all lands love is now mingled with grief." She tuned her eyes on Boromir who gasped and looked away.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost." The man said.

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife, stay but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all." She looked to Sam, "Yet hope remains while company is true." She lifted her gaze and took in the whole Fellowship. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace."

Her eyes came to rest on my arm, which I had cradled to my chest. Blood had started to seep through the crude bandage staining it deep red. "We will care for your wounded. Come young one." She held out her hand to me, beckoning me forward and smiling comfortingly.

In this strange place I knew I should feel fear, but I felt safe looking up at the woman. I tried to walk to her, only Kili's arms stopped me.

"No." he said. He looked at her with distrust, pulling me closer.

"Kili," Aragorn said coming over to stand by us, "Lady Galadriel is among one of the best healers in Middle Earth. Alex will be in good hands."

Kili looked up at him and I tried to pull away again but his arms locked me in place. I turned in his arms so we were face to face. He turned his searching eyes on me. His protectiveness was taking me off guard. "I'll be okay." Kili shook his head, refusing to let go. I lifted my hand to his face brushing my finger over his cheek, cutting off what ever he was about to say. He looked down at me in shock. "I will see you soon." And I stepped away, his arms finally releasing me.

I felt his warm gaze on my back as I took the woman's hand. Lady Galadriel, so that was her name, looked over my head and smiled to herself at something she found amusing. She led me up the stairs as the rest of the Fellowship was lead to sleeping quarters. Kili's voice carried over to me as he grumbled to Fili about something.

She guided me up swirling stairs to room carved into the thick trunk of a tree. Inside sat basin full of water in the center of the room and two elven maids.

They led my over to a carved chair and took my arm. They carefully began to unwrap my bandages. I shuddered in pain, the gashes looked even worse than they had only hours before.

"That's gonna scar." I said mostly to myself.

Lady Galadriel put two fingers under my chin and raised my head so I was looking directly at her. "Scars gained in a battle to safe loved ones are never ugly." She ran a hand along my injured arm, the pain diminishing almost instantly and the blaring redness around the cuts and burns disappeared. "Scars such as these carry a beauty of their own."

The pain completely vanished and I glanced down. I gasped, the cuts had faded to dark lines of scar tissue. It looked like vines of ivy curled around my arm. I ran my hand over the scars.

"Before you return to your friends you may wish to clean up." Gesturing to the bath that had been drawn. She turned to leave, taking the elven maids with her. Once the maids had left she hesitated at the door turning to me. "To close a heart to love is worse than not ever living in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I have a feeling you will soon see." Of course she spoke in riddles. I opened my mouth to ask her further question but she turned and quickly glided from the room, leaving me alone.

I sighed and let my eyes roam over the room. A dress had been left for me to change into when I finished. I felt a little uncomfortable stripping down, especially with a huge window taking up one of the walls. There didn't seem to be anyone around so I quickly took off my traveling clothes and jumped into the tub.

I scrubbed my skin hard, trying to get all the dirt of Moria off. My skin started to turn a scary shade of red from my vigorous efforts. Tears escaped my eyes, not from the pain I was causing myself, but from everything than had happened.

I was useless. What was I thinking? Playing at being a hero and failing. Who was I kidding? I'm no one.

I had been right there, I had a hold of Gandalf. And I couldn't pull him up. So much for his theory on my military history studies being of any use. By rights I shouldn't be here.

"Oh God." I groaned punching the water, spilling the contents of the bath all over the floor.

Me, me, me. When would I stop thinking about myself? So damn selfish.

Kili and Fili's family and friends were gone. Gandalf was gone. And Frodo, poor Frodo.

My tears fell down my face and mixed with the hot bath water. I tried to wash my hair but hard sobs racked my body making my hands useless. Plenty of people probably heard me and normally I would never let anyone hear something like this, but not now, now I didn't care.

"My Lady." a knock sounded at my door accompanied by a concerned and vaguely familiar man's voice.

My eyes shot to the door, half expecting them to open. I hustled out of the tub, grabbing a towel and drying off. "I'll be just a minute." I answered the voice.

I toweled my hair and picked up the dress that was left for me. It was silky and its faint blue made it glow in the night light. After putting on underwear, I slipped it over my head I bundled up my traveling clothes and daggers.

Yanking open the door I was faced with none other than the elf I had attacked upon entering the forest. "Oh!" I let out girlish squeak and took a huge step back.

He remained where had had been standing and stared at me with intense eyes. He didn't look exactly happy to see me. One guess why.

"Uhh, I'm truly sorry for, you know. Umm..." not knowing his name. I looked at the ground so I didn't have to look at him.

"My name is Haldir. The Lady Galadriel asked that I lead you to the rest of your company." he said curtly.

"Ok." I clutched my clothes close while he led me through endless corridors.

We walked in silence for several minutes before he broke it.

"Nearly a thousand years."

"What did you say." I had hardly heard him.

"It's been nearly a thousand years since another warrior has taken me by surprise." His voice was neutral. I couldn't tell it this was a good thing, or if he was really pissed about it.

"I'm sorry." I repeated softly.

"You have gained my respect for your skills. I will not underestimate you again." He answered in that same neutral tone.

Oh, I was not expecting that.

We had descended from the high trees and came upon a small clearing on the ground where I saw the Fellowship. Gimli looked to be already asleep. My eyes roved over the hobbits who huddled close together, to where Fili sat with Aragorn cleaning their weapons, and down to where Boromir and Legolas sat alone.

Then my eyes caught Kili's dark brown ones. Relief first showed on his face, then his expression turned darker when he caught sight of my escort. I was a little taken aback. He looked very angry and I looked back at the elf next to me who had the elven equivalent of a smirk on his face. That was interesting.

I walked down the rest of the steps and Kili met me at the bottom, still glaring daggers over my shoulder.

"Are you ok?" I asked him when I reached him.

Kili broke off the staring contest as the elf turned and left, and looked at me incredulously, "That's my line." He took my injured arm and inspected it, tracing the now scars making my arm tingle strangely, "Are you ok?"

"It's nothing. How's everyone else doing?"

"I think Frodo is taking it the hardest. He's hardly said a word, except to say that he's fine."

He took my arm and took my over to the far side of the clearing. We sat down on the grass, our backs resting on the huge trunk of a golden tree.

I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, "I'm sorry about Balin, and Ori. I know they meant a lot to you."

He looked down, "I'll survive."

I reached out and laced our fingers together, his huge hand swallowing mine.

A faint chanting floated down on the air. A song was being sung from all the limbs and branches, a deep grief echoed all around us.

"What is that?" Kili asked softly.

Legolas gazed upwards before answering him,"A lament for Gandalf."

"What do they say about him?" Pippin asked.

"I have not the heart to tell you, for me the grief is still to near." Legolas said sadly near tears.

A breeze blew by and I shivered, pulling my knees closer to my chest.

"Are you cold?" Kili asked me.

"A little, these elven dresses aren't really made to keep you very warm."

Kili took off his heavy overcoat that he still had on and draped it over my shoulders and sat back next to me. My breath hitched as he put his arm around my waist. We had not been this close since that day we had to hide in the rocky hills. Memories of what had almost happened flooded back to me and my heart began pounding in my chest.

"We should get some rest." I said.

"I know." he agreed.

I started to get up but Kili kept a hold of my arm. "It would be warmer if you stayed here." He whispered patting the ground next to him.

I nodded and laid down next to him, propping my head up on my arm. He took his coat and draped it over both of us as a blanket of sorts. Despite our closeness he was a perfect gentleman, barley touching me. It was only a few minutes later that I felt myself drifting off into sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

I don't know what caused me to wake up sometime in the middle of the night. Sitting up I glanced around the clearing. The chill air made my breath visible in the dim light.

 _Alex, come to me._ Lady Galadriel's voice echoed in my head.

Standing, my feet seemed to move of their own accord leading me down a flight of stairs. Turning round a corner I almost ran into Frodo who was rushing up the stairs. We Collided. Frodo started to fall backwards. I grabbed his shoulders catching him.

'Whoa! Frodo are you ok?" His face was an alarmingly shade of white and he was visibly shaking.

"She's waiting for you." he said softly and tried to brush past me.

I stepped in his path blocking his, "What's wrong Frodo." I asked. "I'm here to help you."

"I'm sorry Alex, but you can't help me, not this time." Frodo shook his head. The little hobbit walked quickly past me and disappeared around the corner.

His words stung, only confirming what I already knew about myself. I was useless. I stood there for a few moments. The sweet young hobbit that Frodo had been when I had first met him was fading and there seemed to be nothing I could do to stop it.

Sighing I continued down the steps. Coming to the bottom a small blue water fall sat cradled by the roots of a great tree in the corner. A pedestal stood in the center, the surface wavering with the clear water it held.

Lady Galadriel was waiting for me, light from the water reflecting shafts of light on her face making her seem like a mirage.

"Will you also look into the mirror?" I heard her voice reverberate both in my ears and my head.

"Did Frodo look?" Is this what made him so unsettled?

"Yes."

"What did he see?"

"That is something only he can say."

"What will I see?" Part of me wanted to walk over and look into the pool of water while another, rational part of me was itching to turn and run.

"Even the wisest cannot tell," She said glancing into the mirror. "for the mirror shows many things. Things that were, things that are, and some things... that have not yet come to pass."

I approached slowly, my eyes roving over the reflecting water. Clenching my eyes shut I stepped off the platform.

"Will you not look?" Galadriel was circling me.

"Why do you want me to?"

"You confound me. A piece that doesn't fit. You don't belong here, and yet you do."

I stepped up again and peered down. All I saw was my face for a few minutes. Then the image started to change.

The mirror rolled over mountains and settled on a small, ivy covered cottage nestled deep in a forest. The door swung open and a little girl came running out. Her long brown hair a mess of tangles, and jumped into the arms of...Kili! She turned her head and I saw her eyes, my eyes, a darker brown than Kili's, nearly black.

The water rippled. Orcs pillaging a village. No not a village. My hometown!

The mirror shifted again and now my mom's and cousins' bodies were strewn across the ground. A cabin ablaze behind. A pale orc raised a razor tipped whip and brought it down on my father.

I let out a scream and wrenched my eyes away. "No!" I shouted and slammed my palm down on the water shattering the image.

I shoved off from the pedestal and landed hard on my back breathing in hard gasps.

"I know what it is you saw," Galadriel glided over and held out her hand to help me up. "for it is also in my mind."

"How? How would they get home?" I could hardly breathe. I looked to her for answers as she helped me to my feet.

"Sauron's thirst for power has grown beyond the borders of this world." She began to circle the mirror, running her fingers over the wet surface. "His hold over Mirkwood is still strong, not even I could banish him from it forever. A hole was punched into your world to serve as a pathway for his armies. But he is still too weak. Unable yet to gain physical form. But through that tear you came through."

"An accident."

"No, nothing is happenstance." She spoke firmly, "If he is victorious over Middle Earth his attack on your Earth will come swiftly. He will have dominion over all life, even onto the ending of the world."

"But our weapons are far more advanced than his."

Galadriel's face fell, "They are no match for the power of the Ring. Sauron will use your dominion over the atom to burn you from the sky."

"Nukes!?" I felt sick, I was going to be sick. "No, no, no."

"Men are easily corrupted. He will turn your leaders against each other rendering them no threat to his power."

"What can you possibly hope that I can do? My people have no idea what's coming!"

Taking my hand she sneezed it gently, "But you do. Be the shield that guards your realm. Even one person can change the course of the future."

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Saruman looked out over his hideous, malformed creations, his fighting Urik-hai. Creatures whose birth surpassed even Sauron's skill in the dark arts.

A hundred of his most powerful stood before him. The fires flickered off their forms making their demon like visage all the more menacing. "Do not stop until they are found!" His voice reverberated in the deep cavern. "You do not know pain. You do not know fear. You will taste man flesh!"

The Urik-hai roared in grotesque delight. Saruman's mouth turned up in a mockery of a smile, they were perfect, and they would get what he wanted.

Beside him on the platform stood the captain of the Urik's rank. Saruman turned to the first born and most vicious of his creations. "One of the halfings carries sometime of great value to me, as does the woman. Bring them to me alive, and unspoiled. Kill the others!"

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"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people." Celeborn spoke as several elves stepped forward with a gray bundle for each of us. "May these cloaks shield you from unfriendly eyes."

Behind us boats were being loaded with supplies that we would take with us when we left.

Lady Galadriel then came forward with something for each of us.

"My gift for you Legolas is a bow of the Galadhrim." Legolas started down at the elegant bow in her hands and reverently lifted it up, running his hands over the carved wood.

Lady Galadriel came to stop in front of merry and Pippin. "These are the daggers of the Noldorin. They have already seen service in war." Pippin gulped slightly when he pulled the knife out of its scabbard. "Do not fear young Peregrin Took, you will find your courage."

She smiled warmly down at him before coming to Sam. "And for you Samwise Gamgee, elven rope made of hithlain."

Sam took the silvery rope into his hands, glancing over at the daggers Merry and Pippin held. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any of those nice shinny daggers left." he asked sheepishly.

Galadriel's mouth pulled up at the corners a bit, but she said nothing as she continued. "And what gifts would dwarfs ask of the elves?" she asked kindly of Fili, Kili and Gimli.

"Nothing." Gimli grunted. "Except to look upon the Lady of the Galadhrim one last time. For she is fairer than all the jewels beneath the earth."

Her small smile broke and she let out a high tinkling laugh. Gimli seemed to have realized what he had just said for he turned away embarrassed for a moment then he turned back, his face blushing.

"Actually there was one thing... oh agh that's quite impossible, stupid to ask."

Galadriel leaned down so only she could hear what he had to say. When he was done she reached up and handed Gimli something I couldn't see.

She straightened herself and glided over to Kili and Fili. "Is there anything you would ask of us?"

"No my Lady." Fili spoke. "We are grateful enough that you have granted us a place to have rested on our journey."

Galadriel nodded then glanced behind her. "Never the less." Two elves came forward, each carrying and object wrapped in cloth. "Fili and Kili, Heirs of Thorin, last of the line of Durin. My gifts to you are two stones of pure starlight, gifts themselves from your homeland of Erebor."

She unwrapped the objects and presented the two dwarf princes with a glowing white gem that fit into each of their palms. They took their gifts with a look of awe on their faces.

From them Galadriel came to me carrying a small sword encased in a white and silver scabbard, "Alex of Earth I give you my sword, Silme," Starlight, "may she protect and defend you as she has me for countless years."

"Thank you." I said taking the sword. I was grateful, not only for the sword but also an answer to the many questions that had been nagging at me since I came here.

She moved on to the rest of our company.

Finally Lady Galadriel came to where Frodo stood apart from the rest of us. "And to you Frodo Baggins I give to you the light of Earendil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out."

After the elves had bid us farewell we got into the boats that they had given us. Legolas, Gimli, Kili and I got into one boat. Boromir, Merry, Pippin, and Fili took another. And in the last was Aragorn, Sam, and Frodo.

Gimli let out a sigh as Lothlorien disappeared into the distance behind us. "Never again shall I call anything fair above or below the earth, less it be the Lady of Light or her gift to me."

"What was her gift to you?" Legolas asked as he and Kili paddled us down the river

"I asked her for a single hair from her golden head, she gave me three." Gimli said.

I smiled at Gimli's answer and when I looked back I saw Legolas genuinely smiling at the old dwarf.


	11. Chapter 11

After several hours we came to two huge statues with their hands held out, as if in warning. In the distance I heard the faint rush of a waterfall.

"The Argonath." Aragorn said from his boat. "Long have I desired to look upon the Kings of Old, my kin." Everyone stared up in awe at the regal men caved out of the mountainside. They were truly beautiful.

Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas guided the boats to the western side of the river bank. Aragorn's was the first to make landfall. He pulled his ashore, then helped Legolas and I pull ours up.

Aragorn, Kili, Fili, Legolas and I went through each boat, pulling out the packs of supplies one by one. While we did that the hobbits, Boromir and Gimli worked on getting a fire started.

"We'll make camp here for now, and cross the river at nightfall." Aragorn said carrying the last pack to shore. "Hide the boats and continue on foot. We will approach Mordor from the north."

"Oh yes!" Scoffed Gimli. "It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassible labyrinth of razor sharp rocks, and after that it gets even better! Festering, stinking marsh lands far as the eye can see."

By this time I had taken a seat next to Pippin on a log. As Gimli's tirade continued, Pippin's face got greener. He turned and looked at me wide eyed.

I grimaced and patted him on the back.

Aragorn looked down at the dwarf, "That is our road." He said calmly. "I suggest you rest and recover your strength master dwarf."

"Recover my strength!" Gimli growled. He looked at the hobbit and I. "Pay no mind to that younglings."

I glanced around our makeshift camp. Aragorn and Legolas were off speaking to each other in hushed tones, Fili and Kili were nearly inseparable as usual, and the hobbits were almost back to their jovial old selves. But something was missing, wait… "Where are Frodo and Boromir?" I asked standing.

All conversation immediately ceased.

"Spread out. Find them." Aragorn ordered. When his eyes met mine briefly they were full or worry.

Everyone took off in a different direction. I ran straight up the hill and through some old ruins.

"None of us should wander alone. Least of all you." Boromir voice sounded from off to my left. The rest of his words became jumbled from the distance.

I sprinted towards where I heard him and came out into small clearing. Boromir stood on one side with an armful of firewood, and Frodo stood on the other. "Thank God I found you guys."

Then I noticed how Frodo was backing away from Boromir. Fear was clearly written all over his face. Frodo met my eyes, silently pleading for help.

"Boromir?" I asked the man, but he paid me no heed, it was like I wasn't even there.

"There are other ways, Frodo, other paths that we might take." He stared at the chain around Frodo's neck, as if in a trance.

"I know what you would say, and it would seem like wisdom but for the warning in my heart." Frodo was slowly making his way over to me.

"Warning? Against what? We're all afraid Frodo. But to let fear drive us to destroy what little hope we have…don't you see this is madness."

"Boromir!" I shouted, grabbing Frodo and pulling him behind me. My fingers brushed against the chain that held the ring. What if were to take it? Maybe Boromir was right? I could save my world.

What? I staggered back, snatching away my hand like it burned. A smog lifted from my head, shame filling my gut.

"You know there is no other way." Frodo pleaded with Boromir to see reason.

"I only ask for the strength to defend my people!" Boromir yelled in anger and threw down the wood he was carrying. "If you would but lend me the Ring."

"No." Frodo's voice was small behind me. A pulsating sound emanated from the ring. I felt a pull. I'd never done drugs but this was what I imagined a craving would feel like.

"Why do you recoil? I am no thief." Boromir grew crazed.

"You need to calm down and back off a bit. Please." My hand hovered on the hilt of Galadriel's sword.

"You are not yourself." Frodo said.

"What chance do you think you have? They will find you. They will take the Ring, and you will beg for death before the end." Boromir's voice escalated until he was shouting.

Frodo needed to get away, from Boromir… and from me, "Go Frodo." I said to the terrified hobbit, and he began to turn and leave to clearing.

Boromir's face filled with rage. "You fool!" He barreled forward. When I tried to stop him he easily threw me off, and grabbed Frodo, slamming him to the ground. "It is not your's by unhappy chance. It could have been mine! It should be mine! Give it to me!"

I scrambled to my feet and jumped on Boromir's back. "Frodo run!"

Frodo slipped the Ring on and disappeared. I hadn't expected this, and apparently neither did Boromir. He grabbed at the empty air where Frodo had been, then he stood, promptly dropping me to the ground.

"I see your mind." He roared at the surrounding trees. "You will take the Ring to Sauron, it will be the death of you, and the death of us all! Curse you! Curse you and all halflings. Curse you!" He tried to run up a steep hill, but tripped and came tumbling back down onto the floor of the clearing.

"Frodo?" he called out, but this time his voice was filled with sorrow. He looked around the clearing, seemingly noticing me for the first time. "What have I done?"

I had no answer for him.

"I have failed. I am unworthy." Tears fell onto his palms.

"Boromir." I approached the man with caution. We hadn't really had time to get to know each other, so I was unsure what he might do next. "Boromir, we can't stay here."

"I have failed."

"You need to stand."

He shook his head in refusal.

Snarls echoed in the trees. We had been found.

"Get up!" Time for some tough love. With a rough grip on his forearm I jerked him upwards. "You are better than this. You are still needed."

"No." He whined.

I took a deep breath and braced myself, I hoped this worked.

I slapped him across the face. He held his cheek in shock. "You are Boromir, Son of Gondor. Now stand and fight!"

Boromir's eyes narrowed in clarity and determination. He withdrew his sword and spun. There we stood back to back as the foul beasts erupted into battle.

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Kili searched the woods with his brother. He had wanted to go with Ana, but she had taken off before he could say anything. He was learning that she had a mind and will of her own that bared any argument with her.

"You don't think something could have happened, do you?" Fili's question broke into his thoughts.

"In hope not."

There was silence between them for a moment before Fili spoke again. "You know, this kind of reminds me of that night we were supposed to have looked after the ponies." Fili said, bring up memories of a lighter time.

"Yeah, Thorin had given us such an earful." Kili laughed softly. "Of course after he had yelled at us about the trolls."

"He did love to yell." Fili said sadly.

They continued on their way, their eyes roving about the forest for any signs of their missing hobbit or Boromir.

Suddenly Fili stopped dead. "Do you hear that?"

"What?" Kili asked.

"Battle! This way!" And Fili took off at a sprint down a hill, unsheathing his sword in the process.

Kili took out his bow, notched an arrow, and followed. They came across the fighting in the old remains of a fortress. Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli arrived about the same time they did.

Everywhere he looked, Kili saw massive black monsters. They were nothing like the scrawny orcs or malformed goblins he had fought before. They were larger and bulkier than any human man he had ever seen. All order was lost in the frenzied battle. It took several blows to take down each creature, and even those missing arms kept on fighting.

In a moment of distraction one of the creatures had gotten close to Kili and was about to bring down it's blade on him. He saw it out of the corner of his eye, but it was too late for him to do anything.

There was a wisp threw the air, and shortly after and arrow embedded itself between the creatures eyes. Kili whipped around and saw Legolas string another arrow into his bow. The elf nodded to him. Kili nodded beck in gratitude and again found himself caught up in the battle.

A loud bombing call rose in intensity then lowered several times. Legolas's head whipped around to towards the source of the sound. "The Horn or Gondor!"

"Boromir." Aragorn said as he ran past the elf.

At that moment Kili realized that he hadn't seen Alex since the battle's beginning. It didn't take much thinking on his part to guess where she was now.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

They just kept coming, one after the other. For everyone I managed to strike down, two took its place. Boromir and I had become overwhelmed quickly. Sometime in the fight we had found Merry and Pippin.

"Boromir on your left." He parried the blow meant for his neck just in time. He nodded curtly at me. I returned the gesture.

The things were trying their hardest to kill Boromir, but they seemed like they were trying to take the hobbits and I alive. I just hoped that Sam and Frodo hadn't been taken, and that they were being protected by Aragorn or the others.

Boromir blew his horn again, hopefully calling the rest of our company to us. A panic gasp came from where the hobbits were hiding, and I whirled to cut down the creature that was reaching for them.

Suddenly Boromir cried out from behind me. I turned, and with a jolt I realized that the thing sticking out of his chest was an arrow. His eyes were fixed on a spot farther up the hill that many more of the creatures were pouring from. I followed his line of sight and saw that largest of the creatures readying another arrow in his bow.

With a cry Boromir leapt to his feet and parried blows with another creature, taking it down even in his injured state. Then he let out a gasp when another arrow buried itself in his chest. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Boromir raised his head and looked at Merry and Pippin and I. Then with a cry he stood back up and stabbed and incoming creature.

A final arrow hit him in the stomach and when he fell to his knees this time, he didn't get up. Merry, and Pippin broke out of their shock and grabbed their swords out of the creature they had slain together. The three of us let out a battle cry and charged the hoard running towards us.

Merry and Pippin's weapons were knocked aside easily. One of the creatures grabbed Pippin around the waist while Merry had been caught by the throat. I only had a moment to take this in before a hard object collided with the back of my skull and darkness bled into my vision.

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Boromir watched Merry, Pippin and Alex being taken, and he was helpless to do anything to stop it. He had three arrow embedded in his chest, and even if those wounds weren't fatal, he could feel their poison tips working against him.

He heard deep growling and he looked up. Long past the time when all the other monsters had left, the one who had filled him with arrow had remained to finish him off. The creature snarled as it strung another arrow onto its bow. It pulled back the bowstring and… was knocked to the side by a flying body.

Aragorn slammed into the creature. It quickly recovered and threw it shield at Aragorn, pinning him by the neck to a tree. Aragorn struggled to get the shield off him, when that failed he slide out from it just as his adversary cut the tree with his blade right where Aragorn's head had been.

Aragorn rolled away and stabbed it in the leg with his dagger. The creature just looked down at Aragorn with mild annoyance and punched him in the face. It slide the knife out of its leg and licked the blood and threw it at Aragorn.

Aragorn withdrew his sword and swatted the knife away. He ran forward and sliced the creature's arm off and promptly studded it through the abdomen. It looked at the sword in its torso, grabbed it, and pulled it further in. This brought Aragorn's face closer it it's and it snarled at him. Aragorn ripped his sword out and cut the thing's head off.

He barely spared a glance to his fallen foe before rushed to his friend's side. Falling to his knees, Aragorn reached to pull the arrows out.

"No, leave them." Boromir swatted his hands away.

Legolas, Gimli, Fili and Kili arrived after finishing off the lingering creatures. They saw Aragorn and Boromir and realized that they would shortly loose another member of their fellowship.

"They took them." Boromir choked out. "They took the little ones. They took Alex."

Kili paled when he heard this.

"Forgive me. I have failed you all." Boromir pleaded.

"No, you fought bravely." Aragorn assured him.

"Frodo. Where is Frodo?"

"I let Frodo go." Aragorn said.

"Then you do what I could not. I tried to take the ring from him." Boromir admitted.

"The ring is beyond our reach now."

Boromir's face filled with despair. "It is over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness… and my city to ruin."

Tears shown in Aragorn's eyes. "I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail."

Boromir struggled to take in another breath. "I would have followed you to the end my brother, my captain, my King." His eyes glazed over.

Aragorn closed his eyes and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "Be at peace Son of Gondor."

Kili held tight to his brother. Thorin had been right to say he knew nothing of the world. He wished he could go back to when the tragedies were only found told before an evening fire.

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Boromir floated in a boat. His head rested on his shield, his sword lay on his lap, and his broken horn lay at his feet. After a few moments his boat went over the water fall, thus putting to rest the Captain of Gondor.

"Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore!" Legolas shouted while helping Fili to push on of the boats out into the water. Across the lake they could see the faint forms of Frodo and Sam climbing up the water bank and out of sight.

When Aragorn didn't follow Legolas looked back at his old friend in question. "You mean not follow them?"

Aragorn gazed across the lake. "Frodo's fate, is no longer in our hands."

"Then we have failed. It was all for nothing." Fili said.

"The Fellowship has failed." Gimli agreed.

"No." Aragorn whirled to face them. He placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Not while we have strength left." He raised his gaze to where Kili had been standing apart, he had been silent since Boromir had passed. "We will not abandon Merry, Pippin, and Alex to torment and death. Leave all that can be spared behind. Come, let us hunt some orc."

Legolas smirked at the dwarves.

"Yes!" Gimli roared in devilish delight.

Kili raise his and Alex's swords, "Du Bekar!" His battle cry thundered the fellowship into action. They sprinted up the hillside.

"Du Bekar!"


	12. Chapter 12

Aragorn listened to the ground, "Their pace has quickened, they must have caught our scent." He peered around briefly, at Kili.

Kili to had heard the rhythmic pounding of the Uriks march increase.

"Hurry!" Aragorn shouted.

Legolas stopped at the point where Aragorn and Kili had just been kneeling. "Come on Gimli!"

Gimli stopped to catch his breath, "Three days and nights pursuit. No food. No rest. No sight of our quarry but what bare rock can tell!

Between two small cliffs of stone the ground had been trampled into mud. Aragorn knelt and picked up a small green leaf identical to the ones on each of their cloaks. "Not idly do the leaves of Lothlorien fall."

"They must still be alive then." Fili gently took the leaf into his hand, passing it to Kili when he caught up.

"Less than a day ahead of us." Aragorn started onwards again.

Kili, renewed with new hope followed closely behind.

Legolas stopped at the point where Aragorn had just been kneeling. "Come on Gimli! We're gaining on them."

The elf whipped around and sprinted lightly across the sharp rocks, with Fili not far behind.

"I'm wasted on cross country." Gimli trudged far, far behind, "We dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous in short distances."

"They run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them." Legolas grunted.

Fili and Legolas ran together. An unlikely comradery developing between them. The elf was impressed at the dwarf's ability to keep pace. And Fili found himself questioning the old prejudices of his people. Sure a cold hearted elf would not have helped him when he fell.

They came to a stop at a rocky outcrop overlooking vast rolling green plains as far as the eye could see.

Aragorn braced his hand on the hilt of his sword as he took in the majestic sight, "Rohan, home of the horse lords."

Kili had never been this far east. What he knew of the Rohirim was that they were a proud and brave people. The king ruled over vast lands, well beyond and of the small villages of men Kili visited in his youth.

Kili noted the frown on their leader's face. "Aragorn, what is it?"

"There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creature. Sets its will against us. Legolas, what do your elf eyes see?" Aragorn's voice carried to the elf perched atop a high spot.

"The Uriks turn northeast." He gasped, "They're taking the hobbit and Alex to Isengard."

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I came to lying face down in the mud. Pain radiated from my side and warmth drippled down my side and my head. What had woke me was my spasming lungs, I couldn't take a breath.

"She dead, I'm telling you."

"Saruman will punish you."

"You were supposed to look after her."

"Let's eat it, I'm starving."

Sniff sniff.

"What is it? What do you smell?"

"Man-flesh."

"They've picked up out trail! Let's move."

Forgotten in the stampede all I could do was lay as still as possible. A few times the orcs feet connected with an arm or leg, but I remained quite.

In a dim I struggled to my feet after they passed. I don't know how far I walked or where I wondered. The sky turned dark and the warmth on my face turned crusty and flaked off. I was so thirsty. My water pouch was gone.

The grass under my feet changed into a field of blossoming wheat. When I finally fell to the ground I didn't have the strength to even lift my head when footsteps neared.

"Momma!"

Blessed sleep took me.

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"Stay still child." A woman spoke, luring me to wakefulness.

"Mom?" Was I home?

I sat up, a wet cloth fell from my forehead.

A woman gently took my face and turned it to the side, examining what must have been a gash on my head. "Child, I'm sorry. We only found you." She looked to be in her late thirties. Her sand colored hair was wild and unkempt, a bit of mud was smeared under her eye.

My heart sunk. Merry! Pippin! A sob tore out my throat.

"Shh, shh." She embraced me tightly, "be calm young one. What happened?"

"My company and I were attacked. Oh no, Boromir!" I buried my face in my hands.

"The urik-hia attack more villages by the day. More and more arrive daily, homeless and orphaned."

She helped me walk to her table where she has prepared break and milk for breakfast. "These are my children Freda," she pointed to a small girl about seven years old and boy about ten, "and Eothain. And I am Morwen."

"I must go, my friends need me." I stood, only to sway and fall across the table. The room whirled around and the ground rushed toward my face.

Morwen caught me and settled my shaky limbs into the wooden chair again, "You are of no use to anyone as you are now. Take comfort and heal. You are safe here." Morwen brushed a finger along my cheek and smiled.

"Thank you." My eyelids closed and I pressed my face to the table, exhausted and worn.


	13. Chapter 13

Kili had managed to keep pace with Aragorn most of the night, but as the day began to break through the clouds far to the east he had to admit that he wouldn't be able to go on like this much longer. He had fallen back to where Legolas and Fili were running together.

Without warning Legolas stopped, forcing Kili to dodge quickly to the side to avoid ramming into the elf's back. To all this the usually observant elf was completely oblivious. Legolas had his eyes trained on the sky, a frown marring his features.

"A red sun rises." He spoke and Kili noticed that the sun appeared a scarlet red rather than its normal orange. Legolas looked down at the young dwarf and explained. "Blood has been spilled this night."

But whose blood? Kili wondered as he and the rest of his company traveled up over a hill and down into the shallow valley.

Fili grabbed his brother's arm, "Something is coming." He whispered worriedly.

And there it was. A deep rumbling, like the pounding of hundreds hooves, that lightly shook the ground. Aragorn knelt to the ground to feel the vibrations to determine how far away whatever force making the noise was. Turns out he didn't have to wait long for no sooner had he place his hand on the ground than the heads of dozens of riders on horseback appeared far up on the hill they had been heading towards.

Quickly, before any of the riders could see them, Aragorn hauled himself up and made for a bolder that was big enough to hide all five of them. Fili and Kili were the next to dive behind the huge rock followed by Legolas who had to yank the lagging Gimli into the hiding place in such a way that it reminded Kili of when Thorin had to yank Ori back by the scruff of his neck to keep him from exposing them to the orcs that had been chasing them.

No sooner had they all managed to get out of sight then the riders blew past them, the turbulent wind created by the riders' passing blew their elvish cloaks backwards. The riders carried banners and flags that bore a sigil that Kili didn't recognize, that of a white horse.

"Who are they?" He leaned closer to Aragorn and asked in a whisper.

As an answer Aragorn leapt from their hiding place and charged out just as the last rider flew by. "Riders of Rohan!" He bellowed. "What news from the mark!"

A man at the head of the riders threw up his spear and turned his horse around, leading the group in a huge arching maneuver back towards where the Aragorn's voice had come from.

Fili, Kili, Gimli and Legolas rushed out to join Aragorn in the small valley. Aragorn briefly traded looks with Legolas, both wondering what would happen next and hoping for the best.

The best didn't come. As soon as the riders reached the five of them, they circled round the group, cutting off all escape. Once they stilled their horses they lowered their spears. Aragorn raised his hands to show he meant no harm, but from the look on his face Kili could tell that this was not what he had been expecting to happened.

Suddenly the neighing of horses erupted and the wall of spears broke apart momentarily to let through the leader, presumably the one with the spear from before. Once his horse was inside the circle the riders went back into formation.

"What business does an elf, a man, and three dwarves have in the Riddermark?" He glared down at them.

Kili felt his ire rising, every second the uruks were carrying the hobbits and Alex further and further away and here this man was wasting precious time.

The leader snarled when no one immediacy answered him. "Speak quickly!" He ordered.

Kili knew that his hot head was about to get him into trouble but he seeming had no control over his mouth. "I would not speak to he who stands in my way." He growled.

Beside him he saw Fili's head fall into his hand.

The leader narrowed his eyes and swung of his horse. Now with both feet on the ground Kili saw just how much taller the man was compared to him. But Kili refused to give the man the satisfaction of having to crane his neck to look the leader in the eye and instead settled on glaring at him from under his dark bangs.

"I would cut off your head…dwarf," He spat the word like it was filthy, "if it stood but a little higher from the ground."

Legolas whipped his hand back towards his sheath of arrows and before Kili could say Durin, Legolas had his bow strung and his arrow aimed point blank at the leader's face. "You would die before your stroke fell!" Legolas yelled.

Immediately all the riders raised their spears and prepared to strike. Luckily for all Aragorn intervened. He quickly stepped into Legolas' line of fire and pushed his friends arm down.

Then Aragorn turned to face the leader, his expression full of apology. "I am Aragorn son of Arathorn." He pressed his hand to his chest and bowed his head to the leader in respect, a gesture that the leader almost imperceptibly returned. Then Aragorn placed his hand of Gimli, Fili and Kili, introducing them in turn, "This is Gimli son of Gloin, Fili and Kili heirs of Thorin son of Thrain," Finally he nodded to Legolas whose bright blue eyes were attempting to burn holes in the leaders face, " and Legolas of the Woodland Realm. We are friends of Rohan, and of Theoden your king."

The leader let out a sigh, "Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe," and the leader removed his helm showing his long blonde hair and short beard, "not even his own kin." The rest of the riders took this as a signal to lower their spears, for which Kili was immensely grateful.

Recognition dawned on Aragorn's face and he quickly bowed his head. "My Lord Eomer." He spoke faintly.

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over his lands." Eomer announced, though his voice was strong, sadness seeped through. "My company and I are those loyal to Rohan, and for that we were banished."

Eomer then stepped closer to the five, pinning Aragorn with his glare as he continued. "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say as old man hooded and cloaked." Eomer began walking from one member of the group to the other, carefully watching their responses till he stopped at Kili looked down at him with an accusing glare. "And ever where his spies slip past our midst."

Kili was outraged that he was being accused of working for the man responsible for killing one of the Fellowship and kidnapping three others. He began to move forward with the intent of teaching this ignorant whelp of a man a lesson when Aragorn's hand stayed him.

Aragorn briefly met Kili's eyes and shook his head. Aragorn turned to face Eomer. "We are no spies, we track a bounty of uruk-hai westward across the plain, they have taken three of our friends captive."

That seemed to spark something in Eomer and his expression changed from suspicious to regretful. "The uruks are no more we slaughtered then during the night."

Kili's blood felt like it had turned to ice and he let out a strangled gasp. All the rage he had felt drained out of him and only cold dread remained. He would have fallen had not his brother seen him about to topple over and caught him.

"But there were two hobbits! Did you see two hobbits?" Gimli begged as he rushed towards Eomer.

"They would all be small, only children to your eyes." Aragorn described Pippin, Merry. From Eomer's face he knew he wouldn't get the answer he wanted to hear.

"And a woman? Did you see a woman?" Kili asked, his voice a rough shell of what it usually was.

Eomer lowered his gaze in sadness, refusing to meet any of their eyes. "We left none alive." He then turned and pointed off in the direction where a black cloud could be seen rising. "We pilled the carcasses and burned them."

Not even Fili's tight grip on his arm was able to keep Kili from sinking to the ground in silent anguish. Legolas put his arms around Fili and Gimli's shoulders in shared grief.

"Dead?" Gimli could barely get the question out.

Eomer barley lowered his head in an affirmative, "I am sorry." He paused, thinking for a moment, then snapped his fingers at his men. "Hausfel, Arod, Siel, Witel." Four rider-less horses, two brown, one white and one black, were brought forward. Eomer took the reins and handed them to Aragorn. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters." His eyes roved over the grieving company of five before settling on Kili who still knelt on the ground. Eomer bowed his head in Kili's direction and silently they forgave each other. "Farwell." Eomer returned his helm to his head and mounted his horse.

He started to ride off but stopped at Aragorn's side. "Look for your friends, but do not trust a hope," Eomer gazed around at the grasslands of his home in despair, "it has forsaken these lands." Raising his voice so all his men could he ordered them forward. "We ride north!"

What remained of the fellowship stood shell shocked for several minutes after the last horse had ridden out of sight. As their leader, Aragorn was the first to stir back to action. He handed the reins of Witel, one of the brown horses to Fili: Siel, the black to Kili: Arod to Legolas who was to share his ride with Gimli and took Hausfel for himself.

Fili and Kili had never been on full sized horses before. It was not in their hearts to feel any excitement.

They road in silence to where the black smoke denoted the burning of the orc and uruk bodies. They rode down a hill then up another one, and at the top they were greeted with such a gruesome scene that even with their strong stomachs they nearly retched. A mound of black mangled flesh burned in a circle outlined by the heads of uruks on pikes.

Gimli slid off his horse, followed shortly by Fili and Kili, and they began to sift through the uruk bodies with their weapons. They searched for several minutes without finding anything. If Kili was being truthful with himself, he didn't want to find anything that may have been left.

Gimli gasped, "It's one of their wee belts," he was holding the scabbard for one of Merry or Pippin's daggers.

Legolas pressed his hand to his chest and began to chant an elvish prayer quietly.

Though Kili didn't understand a single word of Legolas' prayer Kili understood the elf's grief. Kili closed his eyes and joined him in prayer with a dwarfish prayer in khuzdul for those who had passed. Fili leaned against him.

Aragorn, who had seemed to most composed out of all of them rushed towards an uruk helmet lying on the ground and gave it a violent kick. With a scream of such rage and defeat that Kili immediately began crying, Aragorn fell to his knees.

"We failed them." Gimli choked.

"A hobbit lay here." Aragorn's voice caused Kili to snap his eyes open and he saw Aragorn touching a small indent in the ground where a body had laid. Aragorn's head swiveled around till he spotted another indent in the ground, "And another."

Aragorn jumped to his feet and followed the Hobbit's and Ana's trail. "They crawled over here," his eyes widened when he saw distinct orc footprints, "they were followed. Thei **r** hands were bound." There seemed to be signs of a struggle and blood. Aragorn knelt and picked up off the ground dirt encrusted ropes. "Their bonds were cut."

Aragorn then got up and began running, "The tracks lead away from the battlefield," He stopped dead at the sight of the malevolent looking trees ahead of him, dread replacing whatever hope the last few moments had created. "into Fangorn Forest."

"Fangorn." Gimli said in fearful awe. "What madness drove them in there?"

"What of Alex?" Kili asked.

"I see nothing." Aragorn bowed his head, "I fear the worst."


	14. Chapter 14

I slept through the whole day. The next morning Morwen made breakfast bright and early. I took stock of what I had on me. Miraculously my leggings were more or less intact. If I ever got home I was going to write Sears the best review ever.

Morwen caught me smiling and asked what was funny. I said it was nothing and continued to eat breakfast. All my weapons were gone, not much of a surprise there. I was sad that the sword Galadriel had given was lost, it meant the world to me.

"Where did you get your pretty cloak from?" Freda asked, her wide little face glistening in the morning sun streaming through the window. Her mouth was half full of oats.

"The Lady Galadriel gave it to me in Lothlorien." I answered.

"You've seen elves!" Eothain shouted.

"Eothain!" His mother shushed him.

"Yes." I nodded, "we traveled through her land."

Freda was enraptured. She leaned across the table, her food all but forgotten. "Is it true they wear pointy shoes and sing all the time and can fly and…"

"Wow, slow down little one." I giggled, "I wouldn't say their shoes are more pointy than others, but they do love to sing."

"This is the finest material I have ever seen." Morwen placed a jug of milk on the table and sat down.

"It can also do this." Standing I walked to the center of the hut and knelt on the dirt ground. I flipped over the cape to cover myself.

Morwen gave a shout of alarm. I jumped to my feet.

"How is that possible? Where you were looked to be but a rock upon the ground?" Morwen rose and reached out her hand to touch my cloak, "May I?"

"Of course."

Eothain ate quickly so he could go out into their small garden and harvest the wheat their father had planted months before.

"Let me look at the cut on your head again." Morwen had me sit upon Freda's bet after breakfast had been cleared.

She peeled the gauze off, at least it didn't stick to the cut. "It fairs well, but you must be careful lest it festers." She applied an ointment that smelled of lavender and fresh cloth onto the wound.

"Thank you." I righted the band around my head. If I still had my long hair it would get caught in the wrappings. That random visit to the salon was the best decision I ever made.

I turned my attention to Morwen's home. Men's clothes were handing on the side of Morwen's bed, "What of your husband?" I asked.

"He went off to fight. I do not know if he is still." She couldn't finish. Her head fell forward and I could see tears on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." I took her hand.

Morwen raised her head, "What of your friends?"

I had a gnawing feeling in my gut. It was impossible for me to just sit here and do nothing, "I need to find them. Merry and Pippin were captured. I'm afraid…" I bit down on my lip. My eyes burned and my heart tightened into a noose. "I'm afraid. I have no idea what to do, of even where I am. I swore to protect them and I can't even do that?"

My fingertips started to tingle and go numb. Suddenly I couldn't get enough air or stop my racing heart. I had known that this was coming. I was finally panicking. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks and dry heaves wracked my gut.

The arrows flew into Boromir again. One after another after another. Merry and Pippin's scared faces and Frodo all alone. Reality crashed down, mingled with fantasy and the impossible. I was going to throw up.

Gandalf was eaten by an abyss and fire. The tangled scars on my amr burned like coals.

Morwen caught me when I slid off the bed to the floor. The room was to small, her arms around me locked like chains. I surged and ran blindly.

Outside was only grass plains as for as the eye could see. No trees, medieval huts and mud.

"This isn't real." I clamped my arms over my ears, "This isn't real. Please wake up!"

"Alex?" Freda's little voice yelled from the field. But she was far away from me.

I felt like a storm raged insider my head. It makes go blind, cutting deep.

I ran and ran. People watched me warily. Only when my lungs could take no more, when my ribs cried out and ripped my feet from under me, did I stop.

I was panting. The cool air blew across my hot face. My hands still shook.

That's when I heard the screaming.

I was on my feet in a flash. Black creatures spilled over the hills, stray loners were already in the village. Fire burned in Morwen's field.

"No!" I raged.

I fought my way through the panicking throb of people. The village was overcome with pure madness. By the time I reached Morwen's hut the roof was already on fire. I found Freda and Eothain crouched under their table. Grabbing their hands, I pulled them out the door just as the roof caved in.

The distraction let a Urik sneak up on the three of us. Freda's feet were swept up as the monster held her by the scruff of her dress.

While it was focused on her I threw my body weight into its torso. It was caught unbalance and tumbled backwards.

The urik had a crud sword dangling from its hip. I rolled over its downed body, unhooking the weapon and slashing the thing's throat.

Meaty paws wrapped around my chest, pinning my arms to my sides.

"Eothain, stay back!" I snapped at him when he lunged at the creature.

I smacked my head into the urik's as hard as I could. A bit dazed I stomped on its foot. This loosened the vice trap it had me in. I spin in its embrace and embedded the sword deep in its stomach. Black blood spilled down my front and splattered my face.

"Eothain!" Morwen screamed at her son. She had two horses from their barn, bridled but saddleless.

Eothain sprinted across the fray. I picked up the Freda and followed.

Morwen helped her son onto the house. "Put Freda behind him." She ordered.

Lifting the girl I secured her behind her brother.

"Now you get on!" Morwen practically shoved me onto the other horse. "You three must ride to Edoras and raise the alarm. Do you understand me?"

"What are you talking about get on!?" I grabbed her arm and began to pull her onto the horse.

Morwen ripped her arm free, "You can protect them where I can't. You're faster without out me."

"I don't wanna go." Freda's little hands clung to her mother's tunic, "I don't wanna leave."

"Freda," She took her daughter's face into her hands, "I will find you there."

Death screams erupted from the farthest part of the village. There the whole of the urik force had arrived.

"Quickly!" Morwen cried.

"Take this!" I unclasped my cloak. "Hide!"

She caught the cloak as our horses took off. "Take care of my children."

"I promise!" The horses' galloping drowned out my voice.

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Two miles or more away our horses stopped to rest for a moment on a tall hill. From there we could see the last homes burning to ashes.


	15. Chapter 15

"The air is close in here." Gimli rested against a tree.

"This forest is old, very old." Legolas peered up into the high branches, he saw something his keen eyes alone could see, "Full of memory, and anger."

Distant groans became loud rumbles emanating from the very trees that enclosed the fellowship. Kili withdrew his sword and stood back to back with his brother who held his axe high. Gimli quickly stepped away from the tree he'd been leaning against and moved his own axe into position to strike at its base.

"The trees are speaking to each other." Legolas shouted.

"Gimli, Fili, Kili," Aragorn said and the three turned to him, "Lower your weapons." He swung his hand downwards.

Kili nodded and put his sword back in its scabbard. Fili and Gimli followed suit. The noises the trees had been making lowered in volume. A relived sigh filled the air.

"They have feelings my friends." Legolas fixed them with his stare although it was no longer hostile, like when they had first met. His did not call them friends to mock, but in full sincerity.

"I believe you." Kili responded.

"The elves began it long ago, waking the trees, teaching them to speak." Legolas filled with pride.

Gimli snorted. "Hah, what do tree have to talk about? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings."

"Gimi!" Kili admonished him, "They can hear you!"

"Beg your pardon little princeling." Gimli bowed his head. Then mumbled under his breath, "Tghey can't be lively conversationalists."

"No they can't be." Fili agreed, his mouth turning up in a grin.

"Hush you two!" Kili's worried glance around the canopy silencing them.

They walked deeper into the dark trees. Kili could feel eyes watching them. If the trees could talk to each other, surely they were watching them now.

"Aragorn, nad no ennas!" Legolas snapped at the wind. He stopped on a large root.

Aragorn joined him and whispered, "Man cenich?"

"The White Wizard approaches." Legolas jerked his chin back over his shoulder.

Kili tensed, now he two could feel a presence stalking them, "Kill him before he speaks." He gripped his sword tightly.

Legolas and Kili fingered their arrows, preparing to let them fly. Gimli raised his axe. Fili and I readied our blades.

The presence was nearly upon them.

"We must be quick." Aragorn whispered and whipped around.

Legolas let his arrow fly and it was flicked away like a bug. Gimli threw this axe. The white figure swung its staff, the second it connected with the axe it shattered the weapon. Fili ducked to avoid the shards.

The blade in Kili's hand grew warm and then blazed red hot, searing his palm. He let out a scream and dropped it. Fili and Aragorn were clutching their hands suggesting that they'd received the same treatment from their weapons.

They all looked up only to be blinded by a piercing white light that enveloped a man standing above on an outcropping of tree root. The light was so painfully bright Kili had to turn his eyes to the ground.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits." A deep unearthly boomed.

"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded while partially shielding his eyes from the light.

"They passed this way a few hours ago. They met someone they… did not expect. Does that comfort you?" The voice reverberated.

"Who are you?" Aragorn's patience was wearing thin. If the wizard was going to kill them then get on with it.

"Show yourself!" Kili shouted up at the man.

There was an agonizing pause before the man stepped forward and revealed himself.

"It cannot be." Aragorn lowered his hand from his eyes.

Legolas knelt to the ground. "Forgive me, I mistook you for Saruman."

Gandalf stood in pure white robes, more vibrant than ever. The old wizard smiled the same old smile that Kili remembered, and yet it was completely different. "I am Saruman, or rather Saruman as he should have been.

"You fell." Aragorn couldn't believe it.

Gandalf didn't even seem to know there were there anymore, "Though fire, and water. In the lowest dungeon on the highest peak I fought him, the Balrog or Morgoth. Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountain side. Darkness took me and I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead," His faced turned upwards to the sky, as he could see the stars themselves though it was still day, "Everyday was as long as a life age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again." Now Gandalf fixed his gaze upon Aragorn, "I've been sent back, until my task is done." The wizards face crumbled in sorrow.

"Gandalf!" Aragorn felt for him.

"Gandalf?" the wizard questioned.

Did he not remember his own name? Kili feared the very thought.

"Oh yes. That was what they used to call me once. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name."

Kili approached his old companion, "Gandalf." He reached out.

"I am Gandalf the White." A smirk filled the wizard face, "And I have come back to you know at the turn of the tide."

Gandalf turned on his heel, "One stage of your journey is over, another begins."

Kili and Aragorn nearly fell over each other trying to keep up.

Gandalf led them though the forest with confidence. The trees began to thin out signaling that they were coming to the edge of the wood. "War has come to Rohan. We must ride to Edoras with all haste." Gandalf swept a grey cloak over his shoulders, hiding his new white attire.

"Edoras? That is no small distance." Gimli grumbled.

Aragorn kept pace with Gandalf, "We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king."

"Yes and it will not be easily cured."

"They e have come here for nothing." Fili stopped, refusing to go any farther, "I will not leave Merry and Pippin in these treacherous woods alone!"

Gandalf halted and turned to address the dwarf prince, "It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts and avalanche."

Aragorn felt his heart lighten, "In one thing you have not changed dear friend."

Gandalf furrowed his brows, "Hm?"

"You still speak in riddles." Aragorn grinned.

The wizard laughed loud, "A thing is about to happen here that has not happened since the Elder Days." Gandalf watched the trees with glee, "The Ents are going to wake up, and find that they are strong." Then to Fili, "So stop your fretting. Merry and Pippin are quite save. In fact they are far safer than you are about to me." Mirth glinted in his bright eyes.

"Gandalf," Kili called out and the wizard waited until he caught up, "What of Alex?"

Gandalf frowned, "She has fallen beyond my sight." Gripping Kili's shoulder tightly he continued. "Remain steadfast master dwarf. I believe we will see Lady Alex, as well as Frodo before this is all over."

Kili felt his heart warm when he heard this. His determination grew with each step he took forwards. Soon they came to the edge of the forest. Their horses had been waiting right where they left them. Kili took the reins of his horse, petting the beast who returned an affectionate nudge.

Gandalf whistled loud and clear. The piercing tune carried across the hills. Rolling with the dips and rises of the land until it was answered. A horse's neighing grew closer and all saw a pure white animal of beauty racing to meet them.

Legolas gasped. Kili glanced at his friend in worry.

"That is one of the Mearas," The elf explained, "unless my eyes have been cheated by some spell."

"Shadowfax." Gandalf bowed his head in greeting and the horse did the same, "He is the lord of all horses." Then reaching up Gandalf ran his fingers though its mane, "And he has been my friend through many dangers."

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After riding a whole day and night they stopped a few hour before dawn to rest. Aragorn tended to the fire while the other slept.

Kili tossed and turned on his sleeping bundle. He was reminded of the first night his company had spent in the wilds all those years ago and yet only weeks to him. Awareness of his soundings kept him awake, expecting at any moment to hear the cry of orcs echo in his ears.

Orcs used to be a joking manner to him, but no longer. Thorin had told him he knew nothing of the world. He was right. And the more he learned of the world, the more he felt that there was truly nothing he could do. Yet had had to do something. Kili gazed up at the stars, so remote and far away. Was Alex looking up at those very same stars now?

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Stars glittered overhead. The constellations were unfamiliar and yet comforting. Eothain guided his horse while his sister slept against his back. My eyelids felt heavy.

"Eothain, we need to rest." I gently touched his shoulder.

He gave a start. "No we must push onwards." Tiredness was heavy in his voice.

"Come now." I slipped off my horse and took the reins from him. We had no water or food. In the day and half since we fled we came upon no river or lake. The children were exhausted. How long could we keep this up?

I tied the horses to a bush and helped Eothian lower Freda to the ground. Our backs were against a large bolder that protected us from an attack from the back. If the Uruks came I would see them coming. I hope. The sword of pulled off the dead Uruk was propped

I held Freda close to my side, she was still deep in sleep. The dangers of the world laid unknown to her, at least for these few hours. Eothain shook slightly in the cold, his head pivoted to take in all of the horizon.

"Sleep." I pulled the boy closer.

His tears carved pathways in the dust and dirt on his face. "I'm afraid." More water spilled over his eyelashes.

"Shh." I pushed the long hair that fell into his face behind his ears. "Rest, I won't let anything happen to you." I kissed the top of his head.

He sighed and all but fell into my side. Soon I heard his light snores.

All though the night I watched the horizon, waiting for the sun to rise, fearing blacken monsters would appear before the dawn did.


	16. Chapter 16

The fellowship rode towards a wooden city atop a great hill rising high above the surrounding plains.

Gandalf paused well beyond the reaches of the fortress, "Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld. There dwells Theoden, King of Rohan, whose mine is overthrown. Saruman's hold over King Theoden is now very strong. Be careful what you say. Do not look for welcome here."

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"My lord, your son… he is dead." The golden haired woman knelt before a bent old man. Grey skin and dull eyes made Eowyn wonder how this man could ever had been the man who raised from a child. Her fingers brushed over his hands. They felt rough and wrinkled, nail more like claws than anything else. "My lord…" She pushed down on the sob in her throat. "Uncle!" Clouded eyes met hers and she felt hope, only for a moment before the sightless eyes again stared out in to the hall at nothing. "Will you not go to him?" Her heart broke for the second time that day, "Will you do nothing?"

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Only here, where he cousin's body was laid out, did Eowyn let her tears overflow. Her cousin was turning blue and soon he would be buried with no one who oved him but her to lay him to rest.

"Oh, he must have died sometime in the middle of the night." The slimy voice of Wormtongue slithered into the room from the door way. "What a tragedy for the king to lose his only son."

Eowyn stabbed him with her glare, imagining her hands around his neck. "I understand" Wormtougue said, daring to sit upon the bed. Him greasy hand marring her white dress. "His passing is difficult to accept. Especially now that your brother has deserted you."

"Leave me alone snake!" Eowyn ripped herself from his grasp, just barely resisting the urge to pull the knife from her boot and stab him. But she would not get far if she did, and her uncle would be alone.

Wormtongue's smirk turned her stomach, "Oh, but you are alone." He stood, circling her like a predator with prey. She felt his eyes on every part of her body. "Who knows what you have spoken to the darkness. In the bitter watches of the night. When all your life seems to shrink. The walls of you bower enclosing in about you. A hatch to trammel some while thing."

He stopped circling her and reached out his hand, brushing across her cheeks and lips. "So fair, so cold. Like a morning of pale spring still clinging to winter's chill."

He was so close, she could but cut him down. But her cousin's body was feet away, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her beautiful face snarled at her king's advisor, "Your words are poison!"

Sweeping past him, Eowyn ran through the halls, finally throwing open the great doors. Fresh air wafted in her face. In the distance five horses rode towards the city. Pity, she thought, more refugees looking for help and hope where there was none. The flag above her head made a ripping sound, the last threads holding it to the post gave way and it flew into the air. None even attempted to retrieve their country's flag.

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As the fellowship came near the doors of the city all their attention was called to a large swatch of fabric falling with the wind.

The flag of Rohan, one Aragorn had rode into war with, spilled onto the ground. Tattered, faded, and barely recognizable.

The doors opened. The residents watched them ascend to the great hall. Suspicion and grief marred their many faces.

"You'll find more cheer in a grave yard." Gimli shifted uncomfortably on his horse.

High above on the platform surround the hall stood a woman. Her wild hair blew in the wind. Fili though her white dress made her appear as a ghostly mirage. Her head hung in her hands and she turned away into the hall.

Gandalf dismounted last at the base of the steps. He clung to Legolas' arm as though he were no more than a feeble old man.

"Gandalf?" Kili asked. Surly he was fine. The wizard winked at him and he kept his mouth shut.

Once they had made it all the way to the top the guard stopped them. A general, as indicated by his regalia, was there to greet them.

"Ah." Gandalf smiled in welcome.

"We cannot allow you before Theoden King so heavily armed Gandalf Grayhame. By order of…" The general was not subtle in his displeasure, "Grima Wormtongue."

The dwarves scoffed, they couldn't be serious. Gandalf nodded to his companions, silencing their protests. Aragorn and Legolas handed over their weapons quickly. The axe practically had to be pried out of Gimli's hands. Gandalf handed over the sword he retrieved from the troll den decades prior.

Fili handed over his axes and side knife and walked forward. The guard stopped him and opened up his coat and pulled out two daggers. Fili shrugged. Oops, did he forget those. Again Fili walked forward only to be stopped. The guard then pulled out a short sword from Fili's back and a throwing dagger from his long hair.

Kili held out his and Alex's sword. A guard moved to take them but he pulled back, "Take care of them," he said before surrendering them.

The general frowned deeper, "Your staff."

Gandalf narrowed his eyes, his grip on his staff tightened, "Oh no, you would not part and old man from his walking stick?"

Now Gandalf's act made sense. While guards led them inside Gandalf caught Kili's eye, his mouth turning up in a smirk.

The hall was dimly lit. All inside wore black as if in mourning. At the far end sat a wooden throne framed by tattered tapestries that must have once been quite beautiful to behold. An old wrinkled husk of a man sat in the throne. Fili was made to think about the stories Thorin told of the late years of his grandfather Thron, mad with gold sickness and feeble minded.

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Theoden King." Gandalf snapped.

Aragorn walked beside Kili. He nudged Kili, his eyes flicking to the dark recesses beyond the main walkway. There Kili way several burly men matching their each and every step. He bowed his head to let Aragorn know that he noticed them to. A fight was coming.

Kneeling next to the throne was a pale white man, slimy hair hung in clumps around his fish belly face. The King's head lolled to the side, "Why…" he gasped for breath, "should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrone?"

A just question my liege." The advisor sprung to his feet and stood between them and the king, "Late is the hour in which this conjuror chooses to appear. Lath spell I name him, ill news is an ill guest." He spat with venom.

"Be silent," Gandalf boomed, "Keep your foreign tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm!" The tips of Gandalf's staff glowed faintly and rose in intensity as his pushed it towards the worm of a man.

"His staff!" He stared in shock. Clutching his chest in pain he staggered back, "I told you to take his staff!"


End file.
